Loyalty
by Starvedwriteraf
Summary: Starfire was ignorant to some of the traditions of Tamaran. One tradition in particular, a primal and self induced instinct, will be used against her by an old enemy. But even the enemy might be too late. Better than it sounds. Dark past for Starfire. Rob/Star some BB/Rae Rated M Trigger waring: mentions of rape. Cover by rebelliousOracle AKA Meumixleijayjay
1. Chapter 1

_Takes place after 'Things Change.' I'm inventing the Loyalty concept and I am inventing SOME of Star's background and changing some of it._

It was 6:30 in the morning. The kitchen smelled amazing. Pans were piled with food, and sizzling in a tantalizing manner.

Starfire blew a wayward hair out of her face. She had been awake since two in the morning. She had waited until Robin had finally stumbled to bed to start. She had a plan, and she was executing it. All the days of research had lead up to this morning. She was making her friends an amazing breakfast. She waited until it was one of Robin's days to make breakfast. He was very busy with all the paperwork from the events with The Brain, and she decided that it would make his life easier, and she hoped that since it would be her first real attempt at an Earthen meal, he would actually eat it. It'd probably be the first real meal he'd had in a long time.

Starfire glanced at the clock again, uneasily. Her nerves had been growing in her stomachs as the time went on. Growing closer and closer until her friends would be up to greet the day.

Robin had been getting them up at 7:30 daily, now. The events with the Brain had made him doubt how good the Titans, and himself, really were. He was training and pushing them harder than ever. The team was losing patience with their leader. Starfire sighed. She knew that Robin was just nervous for them. They had almost failed the mission. After all of the others had gone home after dealing with the Dr. Light, Robin had come to her. He had hugged her. He expressed to her how scared he was when Kitten had attacked. Then how none of the other titans, nor Starfire would respond to his calls. Starfire knew how dependent on each other the team had grown. They were fine physically. Their skills had grown considerably from their last mission and they could hold off most enemies singlehandedly.

But emotionally…

Cyborg had begun to refer to Star as his sister. He would ruffle her hair before he retired for the night, and he had no qualms about showing physical affections towards all members of the team. Robin had once gotten caught in a Cyborg hug. Starfire giggled remembering how Robin had awkwardly smiled and patted Cyborg's back in an attempt to end the hug.

Beastboy was more affectionate towards the team as well. When he wasn't training, playing video games, or making himself food, he was in animal form. Usually as a cat or a dog, cuddling with who ever was sitting closest to him. He did seem to enjoy the belly rubs he would often receive. Starfire, herself, had even gotten her hand licked a few times. But she did not mind as much as Raven did. Though Raven often received hers in the face.

Raven… Towards the others she was the same. Though towards Starfire, she was the 'best friend'. She now would opt for a mediation stance that involved their palms to be pressed against one another's. She expected that this was for the affection she knew the empath wanted to share with her, and it flattered her that her friend was trying. Starfire did have to admit that the touch helped her find her center faster with Raven's energy transferring through her hand, for Raven seemed to be able to find her own center instantaneously. Raven also began to offer to explore new places within Jump City with Starfire. Starfire had come to enjoy her visits to the park with Raven.

Even Robin was more affectionate toward the team. He would often pet Beastboy while he was in animal form and would allow the changing to lay by him upon the couch. Robin made much more time to help Cyborg with the T-Car, or to play the video games with the other boys. He often sat with Raven at the kitchen table discussing, in detail, the other dimensions she had seen. They would do this for hours. Robin also seemed to enjoy touching Starfire more. He would come collect her for morning training, leading her to the training room with his hand on her lower back despite the fact that she had lived in the tower for years and knew, quite well, where the training room was located. She, however, wouldn't complain about the affection, at all.

She sighed again. It was strange. She understood that the Titans had almost lost their lives, but was this not normal? On Tamaran, lives were very often cut short. She had lost so many comrades who had trained on Okaara before her. Since she was a princess she was often sought out by those who had been on Okaara longer for extra training, especially with the war with the Citadel raging. She smiled as she remembered one particular female, Rege'v. Rege'v would spend hours teaching her the pressure points that many different races possessed. Starfire had even learned a few human ones, but since she preferred fighting at a distance the information hadn't yet been useful on Earth. Rege'v was a truly glorious fighter, her physical strength was astonishing, even for a Tamaranean. Her kindness and patience made Rege'v the closest thing Starfire could have had to a friend, by Tamaranean standards. Starfire's heart wrenched when she saw Rege'v on a pyre after Rege'v's defeat in battle. The Citadel had taken so many Tamaranean lives.

Starfire shut her eyes tightly and shivered with rage, many memories leaked through her mind. She exhaled, it was over the past was the past. She was brought back to thoughts of her friends. Perhaps, even though they were heros, her friends were not as familiar with death in battle, she loved her friends, she intended to keep it that way.

"What are you doing, Star?"

Starfire jumped and turned her head towards the door so quickly a pain shot up her neck, "What?"

Robin smiled sadly and walked from the door to her side, "it's my turn to make breakfast, Star. You didn't have to worry about it."

Starfire watched his features twitch nervously as he looked into the pan, relief followed when he saw the Earthen cuisine, then surprise, "You made a human breakfast?" though he tried to reign it, the surprise was in his voice as well,

"Well, yes, Robin," Starfire began, blushing at his astonishment, "I believed you could use 'the break' and our friends would like a treat." Starfire grinned wickedly, "Do not tell Cyborg, but it is all vegan. I plan on telling friend Beastboy in secret."

"He'll like that. You're sure it's all vegan, Star? There's no-"

Starfire huffed and interrupted, focused on stirring the waffle batter rather than looking into his mask, "Yes, each dish is adequately free of any dairy, egg, any other animal by product, or animal."

He touched her shoulder, "Well, that's nice of you, I would have just made him make his own."

Starfire allowed a smile back on her lips, "maybe that is why he cherishes my belly rubs more."

Robin chuckled, but an unreadable emotion was on his face, "Maybe."

"Morning y'all! Rob! Something smells great, man!" Cyborg entered loudly, causing Robin's head to snap towards the door, and Starfire to squeal in surprise,

"Wasn't me." Robin chuckled, "Star made us a surprise."

Utter fear overtook Cyborg's features, "Oh yeah?"

Starfire nodded excitedly, "Oh yes! I have made the Earthen breakfast! Waffles, toast, the home made jam, potatoes, and the fresh squeezed juice! Oh Robin,I had forgotten, there is coffee in the pot on the table!"

Robin sat at the already set table and poured some in his mug, "Thanks, Star. How did you make all of this? You haven't really tried before."

Starfire grinned, "I have done 'the research'! I found the recipes," her smile got even bigger, "I even used the 'Google'."

Robin laughed at the same time that Cyborg said "Well alrigh'!"

"Did I hear right? Star made breakfast!?" Beastboy came running in the Ops room, Raven trailing close behind.

Starfire smiled knowingly at the two, Raven narrowed her eyes playfully at her. Starfire spoke, "Raven there is tea for you on the table, Beastboy may I see you for a moment? I require assistance with the waffles."

Raven levitated the serving plate of potatoes, toast, juice, and the jam container over to the table. Beast boy approached "What's up, Star?"

Starfire quickly glanced at the eating Cyborg and whispered to the changling, "Everything is vegan." She took a waffle out of the iron.

Beastboy's eyes widened in joy, "Really, Star?! No joke?"

"I promise. I would not trick you, friend." She smiled at him while pouring more batter into the iron.

Beastboy took the batter and loaded the other iron with the batter, "Thanks, Star. I owe you one."

Starfire cautioned a look at Robin, he was staring at her, "May I redeem 'the one' now?"

Beastboy flipped the iron and looked at her, "Huh? Yeah sure."

"Would you mind asking Raven to make sure Robin eats?" Starfire whispered this, she did not want Robin confronting her and telling her that she had nothing to worry about. Not again. She would be worried regardless. Raven could get him to eat by raising an eyebrow and threatening Hell's wrath. Starfire decided it was best not to push Robin too far, and that single confrontation had been enough for her.

She placed another cooked waffle on the plate. Beastboy nodded and smiled, "'Course Star, that's free of charge. You still got a favour coming your way." he grinned at her, "that should be enough waffles." He placed another waffle on the plate and carried it to the table, "c'mon, Star. Let's eat."

Beastboy took his seat next to Raven and whispered in her ear. She glanced at Starfire, a reassuring smile on her lips, and nodded. Starfire looked at Cyborg. His plate was nearly cleaned off already. But Robin was merely picking at his, taking a few bites now and then, his mind was definitely elsewhere.

"Sis, this is so good," Cyborg mumbled, his mouth full, "I will not doubt you again," he loaded more onto his plate.

Raven took another sip of her tea, "yeah, Star, this is amazing. Even the tea is perfect. How did you do this?"

Starfire blushed and wrung her hands together nervously, incoherent babbling falling from her tongue, "Oh, I have ben watching the foodnetwork, and I have been 'Google-ing'. Google is an expanseve website, yes? Well, I found recipes and I made sure to follow them exactly, and I got up at the two o'clock to begin and I-"

Robin blanched, "you got up at two in the morning to make us breakfast?"

Starfire looked at him questioningly for he loaded more food onto his plate and began to eat with more vigor, "Yes?"

Cyborg put his fork down and stared at the girl, "Thanks, Star."

Robin stared at her and ate for a while before a small smile graced his features, then he smirked, "Hey Cy?"

"Hmm?" Cyborg replied, his mouth full again.

"It's all vegan."

Starfire giggled.

Cyborg spat his food all over the plate.

 _This was just a little intro to try to get the ball rolling. It will get more interesting for you, hopefully. But shit will actually happen, I promise._


	2. Chapter 2

Starfire was sweating. Her breath was even, her muscles were still energized, but she was sweating. The familiar burn of her star bolts traveled up her arms and out of her hands, seven large training bots exploded as the bolts collided with them.

Another bot surprised her and wrapped around her from behind. Starfire allowed the burn of her star bolts to travel throughout the inside of her body, white-hot heat searing through her veins. She grunted in pain while the bot liquified from the sheer heat of her skin. She channeled all the heat to her eyes. She swung her head around, slicing the remaining eleven bots in half with her eye beams. She blinked the green flames in her eyes away. The bell that signaled the end of her training round rang loudly.

But the burning did not cease, and Starfire let out a breath, one she did not realize she had been holding.

Robin's voice crackled over the speaker, "You okay, Star?"

Starfire shook out her hands in an attempt to quiet the heat, "Yes, I am fine, Robin." She smiled towards the observation room, "I believe I may have overtaxed myself."

"Well, you beat your old record, you brought fifty bots down in one minute and forty-six seconds. Come on up, Raven and Cy will take a look at you, just to make sure you're okay."

Starfire sighed and flew up the stairs, "I am fine, Robin, I am not injured."

"Starfire." Robin said warningly.

Starfire sighed again, and walked towards the empath and the cyborg. Robin followed behind her.

Beastboy hopped by her side and spoke, "Star, that was AMAZING, you were so quick, like Robin, but with laser vision!"

Starfire giggled at Beastboy and sat on the cot, then looked at Raven who was leaning in to touch her arm. Starfire quickly held her hands up, "Raven, I would not recommend touching me. My skin is still expelling heat."

Robin's hand came forward to touch her shoulder, Starfire smiled at him and shook her head, he sighed, concerned, and brought it back.

Raven's eyes widened with worry and she drew back her hands quickly, "What? We've never had this problem before, it usually stops instantaneously."

Starfire turned to Raven and smiled reassuringly and slightly embarassed, "I have experienced this. I believe I know the cause. There were some… memories that invaded my mind this morning, perhaps the solar energy is feeding off of the last of those."

"Star?" Robin pressed, even more concerned than he war before.

Starfire smiled at her friends, "I will take the cold shower and that should quell the energy."

She stretched, arching her back like a feline, and hopped off the cot. She walked out of the training room and into her own room. She ripped the gorget off of her neck and tossed it upon her bed. She fiddled with her necklace, a loose chain that just hung there.

She closed her eyes and allowed happy thoughts to overtake her as she searched through her drawers for some loose clothes. She knew from experience that her skin would be sensitive for the rest of the day, the thought of her uniform clinging to her raw skin made her shudder. She finally picked out some black cotton shorts and a t shirt that Robin had brought back for her from his trip to see the Master. It was a lilac colored shirt with a white lotus flower in the middle. She smiled as she remembered how thoughtful he was, he had also gotten Raven some special tea, he had picked out a video game for Cyborg and Beastboy that had not even been released in the United States yet.

She left her gorget and headed for the bathroom, she squeaked in surprise when she opened the door and Robin was leaning on her doorframe,

" _X'hal_ Robin," she breathed, a hand to her chest.

He studied her, "Are you okay?"

She smile reassuredly, "I am the 'o and kay' Robin. Some things were troubling my mind, but I am happy to tell you that after my shower I shall be back in the proper condition."

"What's troubling your mind, Star?" He put his bare hand on her shoulder, then hissed in pain, "fuck, I forgot."

"Oh, Robin are you 'the alright'? I apologize!" She reached for him but then quickly took her hands back, "Where is Raven? You must be healed!"

He chuckled, "I'm okay, Star," his face went back to concern, "What's bothering you?"

Starfire bit her lip, "I require the shower, might we converse after that?"

He nodded briskly, and staightened out, "After your shower then."

She smiled and walked with him towards the bathroom, "is your hand alright, Robin?"

"It's fine," he gestured to the bathroom with his head, "You go cool off, I'm gonna run this under some water,"

"I am sorry, Robin." She mumbled guilty.

He gave her a crooked smile, "it's alright, Star. I'll be fine, I've had worse."

She gave him a small smile, guilt still in her eyes, and stepped into the bathroom.

She fiddled with the chain again then stripped.

Starfire started the shower and stepped in, not bothering to let it warm up.

The water hissed as it met her skin, steam rolling off her body, she sighed at the cooling sensation.

She lifted her hair off of her neck and allowed the water to trail down her back. She groaned at the quick sting, then relaxed again. She reached for her shampoo, inhaling the strawberry scent as it lathered in her hair. It was then that she realized how tired she was. She exhaled and quickly washed her body, then turned off the water. She haphazardly dried herself and dressed. She wrung out her hair then put it up in a loose bun with one of Raven's hair ties, she knew Raven wouldn't mind. She stretched then exited the bathroom, heading for Robin's room.

She knocked, "Robin? It is I."

"Come on in Star."

She entered his door code and entered. She knew the code by heart now. She often came and talked to Robin in his room, given she was usually in her uniform, but still this was a normal situation.

Robin was sitting in his chair next to his computer, he spun around and stared at her for a while. She thought she saw shock cross his features, but he then collected himself and gestured to the spot on the bed nearest him. She sat, drawing her legs onto the bed with her and crossed them,

"Star, what's wrong?" through his mask she could feel the burning concern.

She played with the tendrils of hair that hung by her face, "it is nothing, Robin." She released her hair and fiddled with her necklace again, "I just did the overtaxing of myself."

He got up from his chair and gave her a look that said she was 'full-of-it,' but he changed the subject, "what's that?" He gestured to the necklace.

It occurred to her that Robin had probably never seen her necklace in all the time she had been on Earth, she had taken off for 'the prom' for safekeeping, other than that, she had always been in uniform.

She gave him a sad smile, "it was my mother's." She murmured, "there was also a... I believe the closest translation is charm?" She paused and Robin nodded, "but my father took it."

She could remember the charm hazily, it was just a small metal cylinder. Starfire knew what the trinket was made out of, it had been a piece of her mother's gorget. On the inside of the gorget, under the gem, the metal could be removed and shaped, if desired. It was like carrying a piece of her mother around. A piece that was always near her heart. She released the chain.

"Why would he take it?" Robin questioned his brow furrowing under his mask,

"My mother had just died. I understand his desire for it. It was apparently the last gift she gave. I am not mad, I still have the chain. That was hers, and my grandmother's." She gave Robin a sad smile,

"I didn't know about your mother, Star. Why didn't you tell me?" Hurt was evident in his knew why, after the race with the Ding-Dong Daddy, Robin had shown everyone what was in his briefcase. It had later been a subject of one of Robin and Starfire's conversations. He explained each object to her in some detail, there was a picture of a couple and a baby. Star knew that the baby was Robin, and the couple, his parents. She also knew that he had been part of a circus act, there was a poster for that in the briefcase, but Star did not press on that. She gauged Robin's reaction and decided it was something he could explain later if he would like.

She sighed and laid down on the bed, "on Tamaran, we do not mourn for long. And I did not receive much of a chance to mourn my mother anyway." She flinched inwardly at her big mouth, she knew he would ask about that, "we are a warrior race, we lose many. We are taught not to mourn, we are taught not to get too attached, and if we do get attached, we are taught to take everyday as it comes." She smiled at him, hoping that her explanation covered her slip of the tongue,

"Why didn't you have the chance to mourn your mother?"

In her mind a string of Tamaranean curses sounded off, "it is not important Robin,"

"Starfire." he said warningly, but somehow gently at the same time.

She bit her lip,she did not want to cry. She hoped to change the subject, "Robin, truly it is not-"

"Star?" He was worried now, he always thought that she never hid anything from him. Her obvious sadness and fear were killing him.

She bit her lip and looked at the ceiling, "After her death, I was given to the Citadel as part of a peace treaty."

He sucked in a breath, and she knew why, she had spoken of the Citadel before. They were a cruel race who were fueled by hate, rage, and pain. They tortured, in many ways. Robin had thought she had learned this from others in the war, not from personnel experience.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back up into a sitting position, "Star?"

Tears prickled at her eyes, "Robin, it is the o and kay, there are many things there that do not need to be-"

"Star? What did they do to you?" He hugged her close to his chest, "why would anyone do anything to you?"

She felt him shake his head, he was so kind to her and she was upsetting him, "Robin, please do not be up-" He started stoking her hair, though soothing, it shocked her.

"Star? What did they do to you?" he asked again,

"Robin, it does not matter, I," her voice was shaken and she fought to control it, "I escaped."

"After how long?" his voice was dark.

Silence. It was deafening

"Star? How long?"

"Almost four of your earth years."

"You were just given to the Citadel?" he heard the rage in is voice,

"For a peace treaty," she responded, trying to calm him,

"by who?" the rage was still evident.

She didn't answer.

" ** _By who_**?"

Her voice shook, "Mya-"

Alarms filled the room, Robin opened his communicator, she heard Cyborg over the device, "We need Star here, there's a message."


	3. Chapter 3

_I am trying guys, I am trying so hard. I apologize for all of the grammatical errors I am finding in this. I have to do some funky stuff to post these chapters, and I believe that is where these mistakes are happening. I am still planning how to build up this story, I know how I want most of it to go, and I know how I want it to end… but the middle? Ick. Please tell me if I have too many unnecessary details in here. I'm trying. I'm basically running around in circles in my brain while I am typing. If it gets too terrible, let me know, I will take it down and start over! (Just please don't tell me this if I'm, like, 20 chapters in or something.)_

 _Anything that is spoken in Tamaranean will be italicised._  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Starfire didn't often receive messages. She would receive some from Galfore once in a while, but not as often as she would like. They also always seemed clipped, interrupted. He would never mention much about Tamaran. She expected that was because he did not want to 'burden' her with the diplomatic events that she had given up. She would not mind. Though she now considered Earth her home, she still cared deeply for her planet. Perhaps her k'norfka would grace her with some tales of his time as Grand Ruler so far.

Starfire hugged herself as she and Robin walked to the Ops room. Fury was still radiating from him, and she thought it best to let him be. She opted to watch her feet as they continued

Out of nowhere Robin suddenly mumbled, "haven't heard from Galfore in a while, maybe he has a good news."

Starfire allowed a small smile on her lips, he was obviously trying to lighten the mood, "perhaps, or Gluddlestetch has finally decided to do the 'taking of me back'."

A chuckle sounded from his lips. He appreciated the humor but the sound was still solemn.

They walked through the doors of the Ops room. Raven was on the couch reading, Beastboy with his head on her leg in dog form, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Cyborg stood confused, staring at the large screen of the computer,

"Star, this message is in Tamaranean, and I can't open it. It needs some sort of code…" He spoke finally, letting himself trail off until he was mumbling incoherently.

Starfire approached the council, she hesitantly tapped the key that would open the message.

A voice spoke to her in her native tongue, _"Who were the nobles of And'r?"_

She straightened in shock, remembering the feelings her k'norfka had for her father she replied to this warily, _"Ry, Kori, Kom, Lu."_

A series of beeps, then the message opened, Galfore's face on the screen,

 _"Greetings, my Koriand'r, I fear I am delivering grave news. I believe my messages to you are being intercepted. I do not know by whom. I hold a warning for you, I have reason to believe that Komand'r is on Earth. I am sorry, my bungorf, but I am ignorant to her intentions. If my messages to you have been as manipulated as I suspect them to have been, there is much I need to tell you. I will send you word when I hear of Komand'r's wherabouts, once this matter is dealt with I invite you to visit Tamaran. There is much to discuss."_ The screen went black, the message over.

Starfire blinked, unsure of how to respond to the briskness of the message and worry she had seen upon Galfore's face. Had Blackfire come to kill her? To harm her friends? She shook her head. Galfore's messages were, in fact, getting intercepted. That would explain the clipped and uninformative exchanges. She furrowed her brow, if Blackfire was intercepting these messages, why would she care if Galfore was speaking to her about Tamaran? And if she did care, why would she let the messages through at all?

"Star?" Robin's voice awakened her from her thoughts, she turned to him noticing the other's looking to her as well, "everything okay?"

She furrowed her brow, "I am…unsure. My sister is suspected to be on Earth-" a growl came from Raven, "and someone has been intercepting messages between Galfore and I."

Robin, who had tightened at the first mention of Blackfire gritted his teeth, "Do you think Blackfire intercepted the messages?"

Starfire considered, then shook her head, "No, I do not believe there would be anything for her to gain from interfering with Galfore and my communications, I believe she would find them rather 'the boring',"

Robin stared at her for a second, "What do you include in your messages?"

"I merely speak of my times on Earth. I cannot tell you what Galfore communicates in his… I believe his communications have been tampered with. Shortened if you will. That is another reason I do not suspect Blackfire, I do not believe she would care." Starfire allowed her brow to furrow deeper.

Robin turned toward Cyborg, "Cy can you see if you can follow the trails of the messages, see where they stop?"

Cyborg nodded, fiddling with the counsel on his arm, "I can try, it might take a while. Someone knows how to stop a message from traveling to another planet can probably cover their tracks well."

Starfire retreated to the couch, sitting next to Raven, "Cyborg, why did Galfore's message do the setting off of the alarm?"

"Came in on a unknown server, Galfore probably wanted to make sure this one got through untampered. Surprised the Tower's server. The Tower's set up to be safe rather than sorry, alerted me to take a look."

Starfire nodded, placing her tired head on Raven's shoulder, "I am most sure that he used the emergency host to send the message. It is a way to ensure a communication or a warning will be received despite an attack. The host requires multitudes of energy to send." She allowed her eyes to close, "he must have been concerned."

Raven nudged Starfire's head with her shoulder, and Starfire brought her head up to look at her, "are you concerned, Star?"

Starfire bit her lip, "His worry worries me, but Blackfire does not. If her intentions are evil, I will stop her."

Robin took the seat next to Starfire, "we'll all stop her, Star."

Beastboy shifted into human form when Cyborg sat next to him, "Dudes, we're all here. For the first time, like, ever. C'mon! Movie night!"

Robin shook his head, "I had some stuff I wanted to ask Star abou-"

Starfire took his hand and pulled on his arm gently, "Robin, might we wait until after the movie night? Friend Beastboy is correct, it has been a long while since we have all spent time together."

Raven rolled her eyes, "it's been, like, three days, Starfire."

Starfire kept her eyes on Robin, until he finally smiled, "Alright Star," he murmured, his warm breath gently touching her face.

"Frickin' SWEET." Beastboy squealed as he jumped up, Starfire suspected he left with the intent to retrieve the popcorn and the movie,

"Anything but Romance!" Raven called after him, mumbling something about predictability.

He soon returned with some action movie involving a secret agent who was named after an instrument of indebtedness. It was not a dull film, but it was easy for Starfire to allow her mind to wander. It was just beginning to turn dark, and Starfire realized that she had not taken much sun in. She would have to make up for it in the morning. Starfire allowed her neck to relax, this time her head falling Robin's shoulder, she could feel the heat of his neck warming the top of her head. His arm found its way to her shoulder and her head lowered onto his chest, her eyes closing. She could almost feel Raven's smirk on her back, but she was too tired to acknowledge it.

Her mind drifted back to Blackfire. She loved her sister dearly. It stung her to know that Blackfire despised her existance. She and her sister had experience the tortures of the Psions together, and both had received star bolts from the experience. But when she managed to finally break free, then break Blackfire out as well, Blackfire turned on her. Attacking Starfire with cruelty. Leaving her for death on the Psion ship. Strarfire didn't break free again for months, she was subjected to more experiments and to more pain. She shivered and Robin held her closer, taking the shiver as a sign the Starfire was cold. Starfire felt Robin shift, then found that he had wrapped his cape around her. A warmth spread through her chest, _"thank X'hal for you,"_ she whispered.

She felt him look down and nudged her, "What?" he murmured.

She didn't respond, a smile still on her lips.

She was drifting, her lethargy finally taking her mind. She was aware that they were deep into the plot of the movie, but she had not paid attention to any of it. Starfire suddenly felt Raven adjust her position, her head falling on Starfire's shoulder. One leg against hers the other curled around Beastboy, who was sleeping in cat form and purring.

Raven's lavender scent and Robin's warm spice aroma filled her mind. Beastboy's purring and Cyborg's snoring soft in her ears. Starfire focused on Robin's breathing. She was with her friends. They surrounded her. A shield, impenatrable and strong. She was safe. She cuddled closer into Robin, and allowed her mind to drift completely away.


	4. Chapter 4

_I am going into this chapter without a plan. Usually I have an idea of what I want to happen in them… but nope. Not this time. Warning this is a LONG CHAPTER. Also, thank you to my reviewers! You guys are amazing and thank you for your support. You guys are cool. Just for you, I will try not to be too annoying!_

Starfire shifted. Her neck snuggling closer into her pillow. She was still tired, but her training told her to check her surroundings before returning to sleep. Her senses began to come to her, she heard the menu music for the secret agent of Bond was playing softly, the volume had obviously been turned down. Cyborg's snores were still softly sounding to her left, and she felt Raven's weight still on her shoulder. Starfire opened her eyes. It was still dark outside. Starfire took a long inhale, sinking into her pillow more. That warm spice scent filled her nose again, her pillow was Robin.

She looked up at him, apologetic. She could barely see him in the dark, the changing levels of light from the television illuminating only the smallest portions of the room, "Robin?" she whispered, hoping he was sleeping.

She had no idea how long she had slept, it could be the smallest hours of the morning. He shifted slightly, a small movement, to look down at her.

Of course he was awake, "Star? It's early go back to bed."

She smiled at him, she wanted to sit up, but she did not want to rouse Raven, "Robin, should you not be asleep then as well? I am sorry for my falling asleep on you, it was very intrusive of your space."

He smiled down at her, "It's fine, Star. I've been in and out of sleep for a while now…" He now looked unsure of what to say, "I really don't mind being this close to you, Star… it's nothing to be sorry about.." He was fumbling with his words,

"Robin?" her voice shook slightly, "are you angry with me?"

His armed tightened around her, "what? Never! Not at all, why would you ever think that? Why would I be mad at you?"

Now her voice was shaking more, sadness evident in her tone, "because I was not able to escape the Citadel sooner, you were so angry when I told you. You were shaking. I.. I am sorry."

He wrapped his other arm around her now, pulling her up and into him more, her head tucked under his chin, her legs across his lap. She had felt Raven's head slide lower, Starfire adjusted herself so Raven's head rested on her back. She turned her attention back to Robin, his comforting body heat spreading through her.

"Starfire, no, I was never mad at you. I was angry because of everything you have had to go through. All the pain you've had to experience." He exhaled, his breath on her face, "I was also confused."

"Confused?" she murmured, she was still tired, but she fought through the lethargic clouds to listen to Robin,

"How.. how can you be so happy all the time? All this pain you've had to go through, and I'm sure there's more I haven't heard about, yet. How can you even fly? I just don't understand. Do you think you have to fake yourself to us?"

She was shocked, " _X'hal_ , Robin, no. I would never been someone I am not to my friends. As a noble on Tamaran I was told to be emotionless towards my people. I was chastised for caring about others. Tamaraneans are a warrior people, we view certain emotions as weakness. That is why the concept of the Earthen 'nice' was so strange to me. I did not know that kindness could be shared so openly." she paused, he was looking at her intently, a strange emotion on his face, "now that I know I can express most of the emotions I feel inside, I would not hide them away for any reason. I am myself here on Earth," She thought back to Robin's words, "I do understand your confusion regarding my flight. When I escaped the Gordanians, and flew to Earth, I had to draw on certain memories to fly, as I had to do when I first came to Earth. Over time, flying became much easier to me." She paused to beam at him, "you and our friends have made flying a duplicate nature to me, Robin. I could not fathom struggling with flight again."

"Starfire…" He breathed her name and rested his cheek on the top of her head, "you are amazing. After everything you've been through, you still let everyone in. You've been through worse than me, and I-"

She lifted her head to look at him and interrupted him , "We cannot compare the pains of our past, Robin. We are different people, from different cultures. What you have gone through in your life-" she placed her hand on his cheek and he seemed shocked at the contact, "- was terrible. And you have turned that terrible past into a life of saving people. I owe you my life Robin. You did not know me, and you helped me. You and our friends protected me against the forces of the Citadel. I would be dead had I not met you." Starfire placed her forehead against Robin's, "I thank _X'hal_ , everyday for you and our friends, Robin. Everyday."

She began to lift her forehead from his, but his hand appeared on her neck and held her there,

"Star, you said you could express most of your emotions. Which don't you think you can express?"

Starfire could feel the blush in her cheeks, and she was thankful for the darkness of the room. During many of their talks, Robin had spoken much of the Batman. His training, and his lessons in the way a superhero must be. He had said he was told to never be close romantically to anyone. To never love anyone. Starfire had decided to keep her emotions for him silent for both their sakes. For his, not to put him in an uncomfortable situations, and for hers, as a way to avoid getting hurt and a way to keep her best friend. She knew that she and Robin were close, and she told herself that she must learn to consider that enough. _X'hal_ it was difficult. Every time he touched her fire and electricity ran through her veins, so much that she thought she might float right into space. She craved his touch, and she craved to make him happy. Even as a Tamaranean, she craved the lip contact. She knew what it meant for him, and she wanted to express that to him. She would never force him to choose between his training and his mentor, and her.

"Star?" his voice was barely a whisper, and she thought it strange that it seemed to be full of hope,

"Robin..." She whispered, defeated, "I cannot," he seemed to be reading her mind as she spoke, "I have heard you speak of this, regarding the training and the words from th Batman? I am happy to just be friends I would ne-"

"Fuck the Batman," he growled and his lips descended on hers. She squeaked in surprise but closed her eyes and fell into the kiss. She had watched many films that included the lip contact, and since she always begged Raven to watch with her Starfire believe that she had single-handedly cause Raven's distaste in the romance films. She used the knowledge she had acquired by observing the films to kiss Robin back, her hands traveling from his cheek to his hair. His tongue traced her lips, and she opened them, giving him access to her mouth. He took the access and traced her teeth then probed her tongue. Their tongues danced, his leading.

Starfire fought not to float away, Robin's hands traced down her back, but were suddenly, and roughly, grabbed,

"Enough, Robin" Raven growled, "Star's comfy and I would prefer to keep my head here."

Robin blushed furiously, Starfire could feel the heat in his face.

She giggled, taking the hint, and gave Robin a light kiss on the corner of his mouth, "Pleasent _shlorvaks_ Robin, and to you as well Raven,"

Starfire settled back into Robin's neck, nuzzling him,

"Goodnight Star. And Robin wake me up again, I dare you," Raven settled into Starfire's back again.

Starfire heard Robin chuckle lightly, then whisper "Goodnight, Star."

He rested his cheek on her head again. Starfire felt the clutches of sleep surround her, she focused on Robin's steady breaths and closed her eyes.

 _(Normally this is where I would end the chapter, but I didn't want this chapter to be all romance, that's not how I roll so here's to a long-ass chapter. I don't know when I will be able to post again, so a longer chapter is probably for the best.)_

###

The sun was bright, it warmed the streets of Jump City, danced on the water that surrounded most of Jump, and shone brightly in the faces of the unsuspecting Titans.

Cyborg groaned, "aww man." his human half didn't often go unconcious, and his battery was low from not being charged.

He looked at his disheveled friends and snickered at their appearances, drool had dried around Beastboy's mouth, his hair pointed in every direction, and his eyes were twitching from the light. The only sign on Raven that she had been asleep was Beastboy's dried drool on her leg, and her wrinkled cloak. She glowered the the changling and wiped her leg clean. Starfire was wrapped tightly in Robin's cape, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was still in a bun but more hair had falling out of the up do throughout the night. Cyborg thought his sisters still looked radiant.

Robin's mask had falling askew, revealing an eyebrow one of his gloves had fallen on the floor. Cyborg watched in amazement as Starfire sat up and fixed the mask without any protest from Robin, instead the the boy wonder smiled at her. Cyborg looked to Raven for an explanation, but she just looked at him put her finger to her lips and shook her head. He let it go, for now.

It occured to Cyborg that his human half had probably gone unconsious due to the proximity of his friends. They were all in the same room enjoying themselves and his human half probably didn't want get up to go charge. So he just slept. Cyborg walked toward the computers and hit a series of buttons, a crook under the screen opened and a cord lolled out. Cyborg opened the station on his chest and inserted the charging cord into his system. He would be confined to the Ops room for a while. He sighed, tracking Star's communications would have to wait for a while,

"Yo, B. Wanna play the game station?"

The changling jumped up, "Imma kick your metal ass this time, Cy!"

Cyborg smiled, "wanna bet?"

###

Starfire happily ambled to the bathroom after she had her fill of sun. Robin had kissed her. He had expected him to turn away and tell her that he only saw her as a friend, but he had kissed her. She looked into the mirror, she did not look as bad as she expected to from the night spent on the couch. Her hair looked atrocious to her but that was about it. She released her mane from the up do and used her fingers to brush through it, finding only a few knots resisted. She brushed her teeth, the mint toothpaste creating a cooling sensation in her mouth. She did her business then exited the bathroom, heading towards her room to change into her uniform, her skin no longer raw.

She placed her t-shirt and shorts on her bed, deciding that she would wash them after she dressed. A knock sounded from her door. She slipped her shirt on then her gorget on and slide open the door.

Raven stood, a mischievous smile on her face, "looks like we have some talking to do."

Knowing that she was regarding the kiss, Starfire giggled and stepped aside so Raven could enter. The empath sat on her bed and looked at her expectantly "I had not even realized you were awake, Raven."

Raven raised an eyebrow, the sly smile still present, "Well, boy blunder was rude enough to move my pillow."

Starfire laughed wholeheartedly, "you must be careful with your affections towards me, Raven. Our friends might believe that **we** are involved."

A pillow incased in dark energy flew across the room and hit Starfire in the face, but Raven was laughing as well, "don't let the boys hear you say that," she warned lightly, "those are emotions I do **not** want to feel."

Starfire's laughter died, "Raven, could you get a reading of Robin's emotions last night?"

Raven looked at her shocked, Starfire knew that she was hoping that Starfire wasn't asking her to invade Robin's mind, "What?"

Starfire shook her head, "I just want to make sure that he did not feel forced to return my affections."

Raven exhaled in relief and smiled, "no , Star, I didn't feel any form of obligation from Robin."

Starfire smiled and nodded, "thank you, Raven, I hope I did not ask too much of you."

Raven shook her head, "no, you were just watching out for him. You're too nice of a person to ever invade anyone's mind like that. I shouldn't have even thought..."

Starfire sighed and bit her lip, "Could you get a reading on Galfore through the message? I am not trying to intrude or make you feel 'the used'. I am just.. concerned."

Raven nodded her head, her face serious, "I felt concern, and anger. Whatever is happening is making Galfore furious. You really don't think it's Blackfire , Star?"

Starfire shook her head, "No. Even if I don't know Kom as well as I believe I do, I know she would not even care to know what Galfore is telling me. Galfore raised her as well, she knows how dear we are to him. She would not interfere with that."

Raven tilted her head, confused, "Kom? What is that? I heard you say that last night too."

Starfire smiled, "it is Blackfire's Tamaranean name shortened, it is what she was called by our family as a child."

Raven nodded, "so the others were names as well,"

"yes," Starfire replied, "they were the names of the others in my family without the 'And'r' title."

Raven nodded, understanding, "who is Lu and Ry?" Raven felt Starfire's anxiety and sadness then added, "never mind" with a kind smile.

Another knock came from the door. Raven looked to Starfire for an affirmation, when she nodded Raven used her powers to open the door. Robin shyly peeked in, "You guys wanna be alone?"

Feeling Starfire's happiness, Raven stood, "no, I have to go anyway, Beastboy needs to be murdered for drooling on me last night."

Starfire giggled and Robin chuckled.

Starfire put her hand on Raven's shoulder, "thank you, Raven." She gave Raven a bright smile, "would you like to go to the park tonight?"

Raven smiled back, "of course Star."

The empath left. Starfire knew she was still curious of who the others Starfire had mentioned were. She would probably ask again tonight.

Starfire turned her attention to Robin, she picked up her t-shirt, shorts, and underwear from the bed, "I was going to wash these garments, do you have anything you desire to add?"

Robin nodded, "yeah I actually do, would you like some help?"

Starfire beamed, "of course, Robin."

The two left Starfire's room, and headed for his. Once they reached his dwelling, they both entered. Starfire sat on the bed while Robin gathered his clothes to wash,

"Did you manage to obtain any amount of sleep last night, Robin?" Starfire asked, utterly relaxed in his presence.

He smiled at her, "yeah, not a lot, but it was the best sleep I've had in a while." He seemed to be warily considering something. He approached her and kissed her forehead, "Star, does Blackfire scare you?"

Starfire considered him, her forehead warm from the kiss, "She does 'the worrying' of me." She finally said,

"You worry about her?" Robin asked in disbelief.

She nodded, "yes, I fear that fighting me gives her the same reaction to her as it does to me."

"What reaction is that?"

She sighed, "it is… difficult to explain, but I will try. I love Kom, dearly. Fighting her hurts. Physically and emotionally. At one point, we were all the other had. We depended on each other for strength. Fighting her takes a toll on me. If it is similar for her, she is hurting. But she does not have anyone there to help her. She is alone. I worry for her."

He shook his head and stared at her, "after all that she has done to you, setting you up to go to jail for her, and trying to make you marry… that thing, you still love her?"

"Yes." Starfire did still love her sister dearly, Blackfire was also the only blood family that remained of the And'r family. They were alone, in a way. It was a strange burden.

Robin kissed forehead her again, bringing her back to him, "when were you and Kom alone?"

When Robin called Blackfire 'Kom' she expected that he had been listening to her and Raven. She was not angry, it was less to explain,

"when we were prisoners on the Psion ship,"

Now Robin look confused, "who are the Psions?"

Starfire thought she would spare him some pain, "they are a group of 'scientists'-" venom dripped of the word- "-who Kom and I received our star bolts from."

Robin looked at her shocked, "I thought everyone on Tamaran could shoot star bolts."

Starfire shook her head, "no, it is just Blackfire and I. Ryand'r obtained them as well, but did not survive the expermentation."

"Ryand'r?"

Starfire kept her face blank, "my brother."

Robin looked at her, surprise and sorrow on his face, "I didn't know you had a brother."

She smiled, "Robin," she murmured his name softly.

He put a hair behind her ear and placed his forehead against hers, "Hmm?"

"Will you kiss me?" the heat of his body was comforting, and she wanted nothing more than to express how much pain he was breaking through. How much he eased her heart.

He complied without a second thought.


	5. Chapter 5

_My class just got canceled, so here is another chapter! I'll try to keep the author's notes out of the middle of the chapters. Sorry guys. You guys are so nice to me, I'll try to keep the story as interesting as possible. :) Again, I have no idea what's going to happen in this chapter (In the next one I do, big surprise that's not really a surprise coming.) I have some background to include yet before the shit hits the fan so… Any who, I am wearing high heels (my feet are killing me) and listening to Lana sing about what her pussy tastes like (pepsi cola to be exact), so I feel fierce. Let's go. Also, a reminder, this story IS rated M._

Starfire was still in the process of learning somethings about Earthen culture. For instance, she quickly learned that nudity was pretty unaccepted when she came into the Ops room naked on her first full day on the planet, only to have a blushing boy wonder throw his cape around her and stutter about clothing and indecent exposure.

Starfire also learned that her Tamaranean ability to learn any language through lip contact was improper here. When she wanted to learn Azarathean and connected lips with Raven during one of their meditation sessions Raven's door exploded. The empath did not give much of an explanation to any of the boys. When Starfire explained the lip contact, Raven appreciated someone's ability to speak her home language, it made her feel more comfortable in the Tower, and she and Raven often conversed in Raven's language when the boys were around. Odd glances would be sent their way, but the girls never minded.

When Robin learned of Starfire's ability, he asked her about it. She told him of the many languages she knew, stating that her language total had to be in the thousands and if the Titans had to visit any planet in the Vegan system they would have a translator. Robin had looked uncomfortable at first, but after Starfire explained that, as part of the royal family, she'd had a language collector that would bring the languages to her it seemed to ease his mind, and now she knew why. Lip contact meant affection on Earth. It was more than just ingrained in their culture, it was rooted in their emotions as well. The thought of it was beautiful and heart warming.

Starfire smiled and leaned into Robin as they walked to the laundry room. Starfire was willing to fly them both there but Robin had said that the wanted to enjoy the walk.

Robin tucked the basket of dirty laundry under his arm and put the other around Starfire's waist, "You know, we didn't really talk." He said after a while.

"Talk?" Starfire repeated his words, confused. They had done nothing but talk for hours in his room,

"Yeah, about us. About what you wanted to be." Robin looked a little nervous now,

Starfire cocked her head, "Well I had hoped to remain Starfire..."

Robin laughed at that, a golden ringing sound. Starfire loved Robin's laugh.

She beamed at him.

"No, Star, I meant if you wanted a relationship." His laughter fading into a chuckle,

"Oh, you are referring to the boyfriend and girlfriend?" she nodded understanding, when he nodded back she continued, "Robin, I will not push you into anything, I am happy being near you, sharing contact, and the 'kissing'. I will not push you for the label if you are not yet prepared for it."

Robin jumped at her words, "Starfire, I am so ready, took me years, but I am. I've known you for so long… I, I.."

Starfire took his fumbling as a cue to step in, "then we shall be the boyfriend and the girlfriend."

She kissed his cheek, and he smiled gratefully at her.

Still intertwined, they entered the laundry room. Robin threw the basket on top of the dryer and put both arms around Starfire, he pulled her in for a kiss. His lips were warm, and they tasted like coffee. Starfire had always had a strange fondness of the bitter beverage and opened her mouth to welcome him in, he obliged quickly without hesitation. As the kiss deepened, Robin lifted her and placed her on top of the washing machine. Starfire wrapped her legs around him, her hands in his hair. His hands on the small of her back, but they were twitching, eager to move. Starfire pressed against his torso and he took that as an invitation, moving his hands between their stomachs. Electricity shot throughout Starfire's body and she gently nibbled Robin's lip. Robin moved his hands upwards to cover her breasts. He kneaded them and moaned.

Starfire realized that the their intimacy was moving quickly, but she did not care. Couples on Tamaran were often married after they announced that they had feelings for each other. Being a warrior race, Tamaraneans lived day by day. Living for the moment, the consequences should be dealt with when they came up. And she and Robin had known each other for years. They already knew almost everything about each other.

She smiled against his lips and tilted her head up to kiss his nose. He smiled down at her and pulled her in for a hug. His arms surrounding her. He had really grown into a man. On Tamaran, even without Tamaranean strength, he would be considered a strong warrior. He had grown in height, strength, and agility. His training seemed to perfect his already impeccable skills.

She inhaled the scent of him and spoke, "I believe we journeyed here to complete the laundry?"

He chuckled, lifting her off of the machine, "Yeah, would you mind getting the soap?"

She nodded and grabbed the detergent from the shelf, she heard Robin opening the lid to the machine.

She measured out the soap while he began loading the clothes, "Okay, I'm good. You got anything else to put in?" he asked, taking the soap from her hand.

Starfire squeaked in remembrance and nodded, he gave her an odd look as she reached behind her. She unhooked her bra through her shirt. In her haste to answer the door for Raven earlier, she had not changed her brazier.

She heard Robin suck in a breath as she pulled her bra out from under her shirt and placed it in the machine, closing the lid and starting it, "I must journey to my room for a new braz-"

He was on her again in an instant, this time pinning her against the wall. He knew that Starfire had done that innocently, she had not yet understood the significance of underwear, but the action ignited something in him, and the ignition roared into a flame when she kissed him back.

He kneaded her breast again, sighing. He broke the kiss nuzzled her chin until it tilted up, giving him full access to her neck. He kissed down to the beginning of her gorget, her strawberry-scented, soft hair caressing his face. He broke away and looked at her face, reigning in his hormones. She opened her radiant green eyes and looked at him, a smile on her face. She put her hand gently on his cheek and pulled him to kiss his nose, then got up on her tip toes to comfortably kiss his forehead. She let her lips linger there, inhaling the scent of his hair gel.

He mumbled something incoherently.

"Hmm?" she responded, breaking away to look at his face.

He sighed, "we should go see the others."

"I must go obtain a new brazier first."

He groaned and kissed her again, "Do you have to?" it came out a playful growl that fueled the heat in Starfire's stomach,

"I am afraid so. I am sorry, Robin, I did not mea-"

He interrupted her with a kiss, "Let's get you dressed." he murmured against her lips.

###

Starfire and Robin entered the Ops room sometime later.

Cyborg sighed in relief at the sight of them, "Star, thank god. I found a way to track where the messages go. How much does Blackfire know about technology?"

Starfire tilted her head, "more than I, but it could not possibly be that much. Although it would be difficult to tell you, Cyborg. I apologize."

He looked at her darkly, "could she hack the tower?"

Robin stiffened at his words, and dread sank throughout Starfire, "no, Cyborg, that I know she could not do. The Tower has been compromised?"

"I think so, Star, and whoever is doing it the tower is recognizing as me. Who ever it is-" his eyes held a mix of fury and horror, "-is good, really good."

Robin let out a growl, "and they're fucking with Starfire and Galfore."

"But why?" Starfire looked towards Raven, panicked, perhaps she could answer her, "Why would someone do the 'fucking' with me?"

Robin shook his head at his girlfriend, hearing her swear in English was funny. It had almost brought him out of his cloud of worry. Almost.

Raven spoke, "Star, the Gordanians?"

Starfire shook her head, "they would gain nothing from interfering with these messages, if they were here for me, they would just take me."

The Titans growled together this time, "they could try," Beastboy threatened.

Robin sighed and took Starfire by the waist, "the Psions?"

The other Titans looked at the couple with confusion, Raven sensed the shudder Starfire released at the name.

Cyborg spoke, "who?"

Robin shook his head and mouthed 'later' knowing the cyborg saw.

Starfire considered him, "no, we would be receiving many of the 'missing persons' alerts. They would not only take me. I do not believe that they have yet seen a human."

Raven widened her eyes and she heard the other two boys gasp while Robin just nodded, "Cy, can you get a lock on whose hacking the tower?"

Cyborg nodded darkly, "that's the scan I'm running now. Who are the Psions?"

Starfire sighed it, they would hear it eventually. It was inevitable, "they are a race of scientists who gave Blackfire and I our starbolts."

Raven stood in anger, sensing Starfire's dread, "what did they do?"

Now Robin said nothing, he wanted to know the answer too. He knew it must hurt to remember, so he brought his girlfriend tightly into his arms and listened.

"We were injected and filled with solar energy, they wanted to see how much a Tamaranean could take…" her eyes glazed in remembrance, "I'm not sure how, I only remember the burning," she shuddered and Robin gripped her tighter, "but we had obtained so much, that it overfilled our supply level and we were then able to expel it. And from then on when we were recharged by the sun, we would fill to that level. It became permanent."

Raven was walking to place a hand on Starfire's shoulder, she could tell there was more, but the Titans had gotten the summary of it. Raven could sense that speaking about it made the memories seem fresh. She reached the girl and was about to speak, but was stopped by a sudden alarm,

"Scan's done," Cyborg said, distressed by Starfire's pain. He walked over to the computer and grazed his eyes over the results. panic over taking his features,

"Guys…" he breathed, "the hacker isn't in space…they're in Jump."


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay, my classes are getting more difficult so the posts are probably going to be less often. Sorry, I'll try to fight it the best I can though. :) Enjoy.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Robin ground his teeth as he updated the Titan's security systems. Whoever or whatever the danger was, it was in Jump. It was in the same CITY as Starfire. Hadn't she been through enough in her life? And now this, whoever, was hacking the tower to infiltrate her messages to her only family left on Tamaran. It wasn't fair.

He read Cyborg's results again, whoever it was knew Cyborg's scans well too. They had left traces of themselves all over the city, which may not sound smart, but it made it impossible to pin point their exact location. Cyborg had set up a few more scans that would be done in the morning and the rest of the team had opted for a good night's sleep before a day full of investigations. He could go and explore the areas by himself. He wasn't going to sit around and allow this maniac to continually harass Starfire.

He turned to the door leading to the other Titan's rooms. Whoever this was,were they were going to kill Starfire? She was an angel. Even though she was a hero, she never liked to hurt her enemies. She would shoot around them, and hold her full strength back. Once they were unconscious, she would make Cyborg scan them for serious injuries. No, she wouldn't hurt a fly. Robin knew that something had happened when she escaped the Gordanians the first time, something awful and violent, but he had never pushed her to tell him. She would tell him when she was ready.

Robin stood and headed for the exit of the Tower. He was going to check this out himself.

A hand gently grabbed the top of his arm, "Robin?"

Robin turned to see Starfire in her pjs, the same ones that she had worn the other night. He knew clothes fresh from the dryer were her favorite. On Tamaran they just let their armor air dry. The warmth of the clothing intrigued Starfire and she would run to the dryer as soon as it buzzed to put on her uniform. It always made him smile.

Her hand was still on his arm, and eyes full of worry. Her hair was up and messy, as if she had been tossing and turning. She was absolutely stunning.

He put her hand on her waist, feeling the soft jersey cotton of the shirt he had gotten her seemingly so long ago. He had thought about her the instant he had seen that shirt. The way the light purple looked on her skin, the way it brought out her green eyes...

He exhaled, "hey Star. You scared me."

She looked at him curiously, "please, where were you going?"

He pulled her into a tight hug and she spoke again, "you were leaving."

It was a statement, not a question. She knew him too well. He tucked her head under his chin, "I'm sorry, Star. This is all jus-"

She kissed the corner of his mouth, "please, let us do the talking in your room. No more of the research tonight, _grimurel verndoce_." She said the last part with a giggle.

Robin looked at her curiously, " I am making 'the joke' at your expense. _Grimurel verndoce_ means 'fierce protector'. Mother used to call me this when I would stop the formal hunts of the _grangles_. They are similar to your Earthen rabbits."

Robin laughed and nibbled on her neck, "you teasing me?" he joked.

She began pulling him to his room, "Yes." She gave him a beaming smile.

He knew what she was doing. She was getting him away from his work, and leading him to his room. She was hoping she could wear him out by talking to him in a dim room and perhaps even a little more kissing. He was putty.

She entered the override code on the panel next to his door. He should really just get her finger prints in his scanner, he decided that would be what he worked on next.

She pulled him to the bed and flopped down, dragging him with her. She giggled as they bounced back up once or twice, and Robin laughed whole heartedly. When the laughter died, he opted to just stare at his beautiful girlfriend giggling away. She noticed this, and blushed, fiddling with the chain on her neck out of nervousness.

Despite his better judgement he spoke about he let words fall out of his mouth, "Star, did you ever miss the charm your mom gave you?"

She stared at him for a moment, her small eyebrows knitted together, "yes, especially as a child. When my mother gave me the necklace she told me that as long as I had this, I would be safe. When I did not have it when the Gordanians took me...It was..." She closed her eyes and changed the subject, "It means a great deal to give someone the metal from your gorget. As far as I know it is the ultimate symbol of love and protection."

He gawked, "the charm was a piece of her gorget?"

"Yes, behind the gem there is a removable panel, It is the piece of the armor that is closest to our hearts. That is why it means so much. You remove it and form it into the shape you desire."

He looked at her uneasy, "listen, Star, I know it could never replace your mother's charm, but-" he brought out a small green gem, "-I got this for you… to put on the chain."

She gave him a beaming smile, "Robin... we only just-"

He rubbed his neck, "I've had it for a while.."

He grinned and delicately lifted the chair, searching for the clasp to put the gem on.

He frowned and looked again, "Star, where's the clasp to take this off?"

She cocked her head at him, "there is not one."

He panicked, "how do I.. I don't.. the gem?"

She smiled and took the gem by the hook, she closed her eyes, focusing all her heat to her fingers. When it was sufficiantly heated she wrapped the bendable hook around the front of her chain.

Robin smiled but gave her a questioning look, "Since we are a warrior people, any decorations we may wear have to withstand hostile strength. We used a form of torch to heat our jewelry. Once a chain is put on, it is welded together, then heated again to take it off if necessary. I can now just use my star bolts."

He nodded in understanding, "it looks great on you, Star."

She smiled and looked down at the chain again, "I thank you Robin, it is beautiful."

He took in a breath, "Star. I love you."

She jumped and looked up at him, a unique look in her eyes, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, "I love you as well, Robin." She kissed his nose and smiled, "Wait here."

She retreated from his room.

Robin's mind finally caught up to him. He had done it. He had told her that he loved her. And she loved him. A giddy smile appeared on his lips then vanished. He could see her love for him in her eyes. She could not. He closed his eyes hard for a moment, then removed his mask.

###

Starfire entered Robin's room with her gorget. She had wanted to tell him how much she loved him for so long, but did not want to pressure him into feeling anything that he did not. For so long she had wanted to gift him with some token of affection and now she knew what. She had told him what her mother's charm had meant to her, meant on Tamaran, she wanted to share that with him.

She looked up shyly at Robin, "Robin, I too would like to exchange the-" She covered her eyes dropping her gorget on the floor, "I should have knocked, _X'hal_ Robin I am so sorry, I did not mean to-"

Robin chuckled and pulled her on to the bed, "Star," he murmured her name, "it's okay, I love you. I want you to see."

Starfire peeked through her hands at Robin. His eyes were beautiful. They were so blue. She bit her lip and removed her hands from her face. This was the ultimate sign of Robin's love. She knew this. So few of the people who knew of Robin's hero side had ever seen him maskless, and here he was before her.

She put her hand to his cheek, "they are incredible, Robin." she tripped over her words, "I am… am… so thankful that-"

He kissed her, "what were you saying before, Star? When you came into the room?" he barely whispered this against her lips.

"Hmm? Oh!" She broke away and reached for her gorget.

His eyes widened at the sight of it,"Star, you don't have to."

She beamed at him, "Robin, I desire to, I have desired to for a long time. I love you, Robin, and on Tamaran this is a great sign of love. I may not know the exact histories and the whole story behind this act, but I do know how much I love you."

She tore at the metal behind the gem, too hard it seemed, for it was thrown to the other side of the room from the force, Starfire giggled and went to retrieve it, but when she picked it up, it cut her hand. She hissed in pain, it had to be sharp to cut her Tamaranean skin, " _X'hal Nuefdag_ " she cursed.

Robin hurried over and examined the cut, he hurriedly wrapped it in a bandage from his first aid kit, "you might need stitches," he grumbled.

She shook her head, " you know I shall heal quickly, Robin, the bandage should suffice."

She gave him a dazzling smile, retrieved the metal and pulled him back to the bed.

She cocked her head, "if it is that sharp, I do not wish for you to wear it in its current form." She gestured to the bandage, "I must remove this for a moment"

He nodded and she removed the bandage. She began to roll the metal between her fingers, heating it with her star bolts. After a few minutes the disc of metal was formed into a sphere no bigger than a pearl.

She held it up it inspect it, "Oh, I shall need a chain."

He shook his head, "I have a chain, but bandage first." He rebandaged her hand, then got up to find a chain. He retuned with it a moment later, "Star this one has a hook already on it, can you weld the ball to it?"

She nodded eagerly then complied, heating the hook and attaching her charm to it, "there you are, Robin!"

He snapped the chain around his neck, Starfire crawled from her side of the bed over to him and placed the chain under the neck of his cape and shirt, "I fear that earthen chains are more breakable than ours. I do not want to endanger your neck, an enemy may pull upon this, yes?"

He nodded, then grabbed her injured hand and kissed it, then her non-injured one, "thank you Star."

She smiled at him and kissed his nose again, "you are most welcome, Robin."

He kissed her lips.

It was strange, the feelings bubbling inside Starfire, love was evident, but there was more, she could not name it. Robin began to deepen the kiss, his tongue entering her mouth, she moaned involuntarily. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into him. She ran her fingers through his hair and down his chest. He moaned and laid back, pulling Starfire on top of him, his hands shifted on her ribs, itching to go higher, their hips pushed together.

The Titan alarm roared, dousing the room in blinking red lights.

Robin shifted their position so her was crouching protectively above Starfire who had crackling star bolts in her hand.

Something crashed into the roof of the tower.


	7. Chapter 7

_Oh my god, I know how to build up to everything now. I know what to do. I feel blessed. This story is going to be DARK guys. Starfire might go super OoC in later chapters, but I promise that the situation will warrant it. Bold and italicized (at the same time) means internal thoughts. It should only be for this chapter. Regular italicized is still Tamaranean._

The Titans were on the roof in an instant. Any romance, lethargy, or any other concerns gone as soon as the Tower was fired at. The projectile smoked, a crater surrounding it. The Titans were in a perfect attack position, but Starfire broke rank.

Robin disdainfully let her investigate, but several birdarangs were between his knuckles, ready for the worst.

Starfire gasped and slid into the crater, burning her thighs.

The other Titans crept to the edge of the crater, only to hear Starfire's panicked cries,

"Sister?! Kom! _Awaken!_ Please! Sister! _No, no, no, no! Please not you too. I will not lose you!"_ She shook the body of her sister, tears freely falling from her eyes, _"Sister. Do you need sunlight?"_

She placed her arms across Blackfire's chest and shot into the air, ignoring the other's protests.

She felt the ice in the atmosphere slice at her face as she broke the sound barrier.

She needed to fly faster. If her sister was fading as fast as Starfire suspected, she might already be too late. Just as she broke out of the exosphere, Blackfire's eyes opened, glowing with purple flame. She grabbed Starfire's wrists and threw her away, towards the Earth. She then charged, connecting against Starfire's torso with such force both sisters could her the redhead's ribs strain and break. A sharp pain ripped through Starfire's side. Blackfire flew top speed back into the Earth, screaming a battle cry on her lips. The heat of her hands and the flames surrounding her burned Starfire's clothing. Raw skin facing the ferocity of the frozen mesosphere.

The Titans watched in horror as a purple streak was quickly approaching the ground. A burning girl taking the brunt of the flight. The sisters hit the water. It retreated from the force of the collision and allowed Blackfire to hit the rocky bottom, leaving her sister as the water fell back into place. She waited, well aware that Raven was levitating the other Titans over quickly. Blackfire seemed desperate to make sure her sister stayed at the depths. As soon as the heroes approached her, she shot off into the city.

Robin wasted no time and dove into the water, panicked. **_Why would Blackfire do this? Why would Star try to save her? Is she dead? She can't be dead. Please, god, don't let her be dead._** His lungs burned, but he was determined to reach his girlfriend. He pulled at the water, still settling from the tidal waves. The bottom slowly coming into view. It seemed like hours to his lungs, but there she was. Her red hair around her like a halo, floating out in all directions. Her eyes were closed, she floated there lifeless. She was clearly injured and bleeding, the water around her was a haunting red. He looped his arms around her waist and used the bottom to push off towards the others. Starfire needed to be healed. He broke the surface heaving for air.

Cyborg grabbed Robin by the back of his shirt and lifted the two out of the water and onto Raven's disc. Robin held onto the girl while Cyborg began his scans. Beastboy by their side, his breathing hitched. Raven avoided looking at the girl in fear that if she saw, her emotions would cause the others to fall into the water. She brought them back to the roof with haste. Dropping the Titans and sliding towards Starfire's side.

Tears of relief and fear broke through the empath's eyes, "She's alive," she choked out the words.

Beastboy ran over and hugged her shoulders, "Raven, she NEEDS you. She NEEDS you to heal her. Don't let your emotions-"

Raven nodded.

Robin picked Starfire back up and ran her to the medical bay. The others not an inch behind him. As soon as the girl was on the cot, Cyborg's scan was complete,

"Five broken ribs, internal bleeding, concussion, two burns on her stomach look like handprints, several on her back and thighs, multiple contusions to the face, organs ruptured, and a.. a STAB WOUND? You heal the inside first alrigh'?"

All Raven could do was nod and begin.

###

Robin had been pacing outside the med bay for a full nine hours, now. They were still healing her. Still. She had been saving her sister and Blackfire turned on her. She could be dying. Her sister might have killed her. Her sister had stabbed her. Had the drowning attempt not been enough? Blackfire needed to STAB her. A weary Raven finally emerged and Robin halted his pacing and gripped the empath by her shoulders, ready for the worst.

Raven's tired eyes met his masked ones, "she'll be okay. Everything on the inside is healed. She'll be sore for a few weeks, no doubt, but she's healed. The cuts on her face and her burns have even started to heal by themselves now… Our girl is tough."

Robin fell to his knees in relief, "th….thank you.. thought.. I thought.. I'd lost her."

Raven dropped beside him, "we all did." Her face turned angry, "we found this lodged inside the stab wound."

A bloodied flash drive appeared in her palm. Robin picked it up and examined it. He then looked towards the door, "I'm not leaving her, we'll check it out on the computer in there."

Raven nodded and they entered.

Cyborg barely looked up at their entrance. He was monitoring his sister's vitals. It seemed too good to be true, the simple fact that she was breathing. He was going to watch her until she woke up. Robin appeared at her side. He took her hand it was warm now, it wasn't the cold skin he had touch earlier. She looked like herself again, not the beaten lifeless doll he had held before. This was Starfire… This was HIS Starfire.

Raven spoke, "Robin wants to look at the flash drive in here, I think we should use a safe computer, just incase it's rigged."

Cyborg nodded and looked back at the vitals, "there's a laptop, under the main screen in here, the password is 7817712"

A small smile appeared on her lips, "StarRae?" recognizing the meaning of the number code.

He allowed the smallest of grins, "I gotta have my girls."

Raven waited for the welcome screen to load then inserted the flash drive. The flash's folders popped up. All that was on it was a video. She brought the laptop over to the boys. And hit play. She half wondered if she should wake the green cat sleeping on Starfire's stomach so he could see this too, but sensing his relief and peace, she thought better of it.

Blackfire's pixelated face appeared and she could sense the fury off of both of her friends, and the empath felt some rage herself. The Tamaranean began speaking a harsh, guttural, almost reptilian language that made all the Titans shudder involuntarily. She was speaking in hushed tones, and was hunched over the camera nervously. Her eyes were wide with worry. This was not the vicious villain the Titans had seen earlier, this was a frightened girl.

"Does anyone know the language?" Raven asked, unsure of what to feel for the girl. She could sense the dread oozing out of Blackfire's every breath.

Cyborg and Robin shook their heads.

Robin turned towards Starfire and rubbed her cheek, "Star could probably understand."

Cyborg spoke next, "if she wanted to get a message to Star, this was a fucked up way to do it."

Raven squinted at the video, "she's definitely on Earth, I can sense that at least. Now WHERE she is on Earth…" She squinted harder, the video was blurry, but she had thought she saw… Her eyes widened, "Guys… look at her gorget."

The boys moved their heads closer to the screen.

Robin clenched his teeth, "Slade."


	8. Chapter 8

_Okay, I will try to cool it with the cliffhangers. I'm not Charles Dickens. I keep saying that the posts will not come, BUT THEY KEEP COMING. I have been pretty good about finding tome to post, so let's hope I can keep this up._

 _No promises._

 _I will probably be able to post tomorrow as well._

 _Thank all my reviewers so much for your kind words._

 _'_ _#(hashtag)honored' because I'm trying to be hip._

Starfire could only feel the clouds of pain surrounding her body. In her haze, memories flooded back to her. Blackfire crashed on Titan's Tower. She looked so beaten, weak… Starfire remembered shooting off towards the sun… Then….

Her sister had attacked her, burned her, tried to drown her. She remembers the searing of her sister's hands on her stomach, through her shirt… Her shirt! Starfire sighed internally, well her favorite shirt was gone. What else could she remember…? Pain, pain, and more pain. Then she wanted to scream, her sister had stabbed her… **stabbed** her. Blackfire wanted Starfire dead. Her older sister hated her so much that she would rip her from the Earth herself.

Tears rolled down Starfire's cheeks and someone jostled her sleeping form,

"Star? Starfire? It's okay. We're here. Rob! Raven! BB! Get over here!"

Cyborg was calling to her. Even if the last of her blood family no longer wanted her, at least the ones that took her in did. She heard the trample of footsteps from the other side of the room, and many pairs of hands were on her at once, she did not have the heart to tell them that her skin was so raw and the contact hurt. Raven was stroking her hair (Starfire could tell by her cold but soothing touch), a purring kitten was on her stomach, a robotic but gentle hand was in hers, and Robin was rubbing her cheek,

"She's gone Star, she won't get you." Robin was cooing words at her. Telling her it was safe, everything was alright.

Starfire opened her eyes, hoping that her tears had dried and her friends wouldn't be concerned. Her friends were all staring back at her, relieved and loving smiles on their faces. A green kitten was mewling at her, she scratched behind his ears.

Raven spoke first, "you don't ever do that again."

"Sis, I thought we lost you."

Robin leaned down and kissed her forehead. A strange look upon his face, anger?

The kitten traveled to the bottom of the cot and shifted. Beastboy sat by Starfire's feet, rage on his face as he drummed his fingers on her calf, "I almost ate Blackfire."

The empath smacked the back of his head. Eyeing him with a strange expression.

The changling glared at Raven, "I did. She shoud never treat Star like that, no one should. And now working with Slade? What the fuck does-"

Starfire's eyes widened and she sat up, "Slade? Kom is working with Slade? _No, no, no. This is not right. Something is very wrong. Slade had nothing that she could want. She can't hate me that-_ "

Robin glared at Beastboy and began to run his hands through Starfire's hair, "she managed to get you a video. We played it, but we can't understand it. She's not speaking Tamaranean… I've never heard it.."

"May I see please, Robin?" If Blackfire had left her a video, maybe it explained the attack.

Robin shook his head, "let's get some food in you, and get you changed… If Slade is messing with you now… I'm not sure."

"It is my sister, Robin. I will eat and bathe first, but I do need to see that message."

He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, "how are you feeling?"

"My skin is still feeling the pain from ascending and descending through Earth's atmospheres too quickly. A shower should help, but the pain will last. If I had worn my armor…" she trailed off,

"it'll do nothing to blame yourself for things you could have done. I'll help you to the shower… You probably shouldn't wear your uniform." Raven began to help her off of the cot while she spoke, wrapping her arm around Starfire's waist and bringing the redhead's arm around her shoulders, Raven knew Starfire could probably walk but there was no way in hell she was taking that chance,

"oh, my clothes for 'the lounging', they were destroyed, yes? I-"

"I'll get stuff for you, Star." Robin was thankful when the others didn't jeer or make fun. They knew that this was not the time. Starfire's wellbeing was on the line.

He placed his arm around Starfire's waist as well, craving to touch her after seeing her so cold. He had almost lost another person he loved. It was almost too much to take.

Once they reached the bathroom, Robin released his hold on his girlfriend, allowing the empath to take her to the shower. The door closed in his face. Star would definitely need help showering, Raven would probably prefer to do that.

Robin headed towards Starfire's room, typing the override code and entering. Her strawberry scent, and peaches throughout the room. An excited Silkie warbled up to him, gnawing playfully at Robin's boot. He picked the worm up, scratching his belly as he roamed further into the room. The worm crawled on Robin's shoulders and he searched through the drawers for something that wouldn't hurt Star's now-sensitive skin. He brought out some underwear and began his search. Her uniform was out, the spandex clinging to her would probably make it worse, her yoga pants and shorts would pose the same problem. He knew she did not own many lounge clothes because she usually slept naked. She had purchased the shorts for when the other Titan's would visit and they would sleep over. Jinx usually bunked with Star, along with Bumblebee. She was considerate enough to clothe herself for those evenings. The t-shirt he had brought back for her was also the only one she owned. She usually bought things for others rather than herself. Robin huffed and closed her drawers he plucked Silkie from his shoulders and brought him back into his arms, patting the worm's head. Robin went into his room, he had to have something for her.

After some digging Robin found some black sweat pants. They would be big on her, and that was probably for the best right now. All he had left to find was a shirt. He gave Silkie one last scratch and put the pet on the bed, wrapping Silkie in his blankets similar to that of a cocoon. Starfire had done this often. Robin shuffled through his drawers, cursing Starfire's generosity and lack of self concern. He shook his head, as inconvenient as this was for her, those traits are one of the many reasons that he loved her.

Robin finally pulled found a shirt that seemed sufficiently fabric was jersey cotton, the same as that the one Starfire had lost. He examined the front of the shirt, it was the one Bruce had gotten him as a joke, it was a bright red with the Robin insignia on the top left corner. It was inane, but the thought of Starfire in this made him warm inside.

He closed the drawer and exited the room, leaving Silkie to sleep. He headed down the hall, he could no longer here the shower so he figured they were done. When he reached the door he heard Starfire's tinkling laugh. HIs heart leapt at the sound, so light but so sweet. He smiled and knocked, the giggling continued.

Raven answered, she blocked any view of Starfire, he knew this without even trying,

"What's so funny in there?" Robin tease,

"Raven has made 'the joke' at Beastboy's expense," Starfire was still giggling, "Raven, that was quite dirty," Starfire playfully chastised,

Raven allowed a wicked grin on her face, and Robin raised an eyebrow.

Raven shook her head, "So do you have the clothes, or is Star going nude?"

He handed her clothes and she gave him a look, "you could have checked my room."

He shrugged.

She closed the door and he heard Starfire aghast, "I cannot steal his clothing, it was my fault that my other clothing was-"

"It's okay Star," he murmured this, knowing she heard.

After a few seconds the door opened again, and Starfire emerged in front of Raven, she had a shy look to her face. While Starfire wasn't looking Raven whispered to him, "she had to sit down in the shower, she's definitely sore."

Robin sighed and nodded, "Star," she turned to him instantly, he smiled and turned his back to her, noticing that Raven was smiling also. He got on one knee, "hop on."

Starfire took a hesitant step forward, "this is 'the swine back ride', yes?"

Raven nodded.

Starfire gently wrapped herself around Robin's back and whispered into his ear, "I thank you, Robin."

His head went forward and he kissed one of the arms that were around his neck in response.

When they finally reached the Ops room both of the boys quickly stood up,

"Where's our girl?!" Cyborg walked over to the pair, Raven slinking around him to stand near Beastboy, "I made you some vegetable soup over there, something easy."

Beastboy had convinced Starfire to become vegetarian months ago. He was surprised to learn that she usually ate that way anyway, save the times when there would be a royal hunt. Meat was not as popular on Tamaran as Beastboy was lead to believe.

"I thank you, Cyborg, I am most famished." Robin brought Starfire to the couch and gently unhooked her arms from around him. As soon as she sat Beastboy wrapped her in a blanket and Raven brought her soup.

Starfire blushed, "I thank you friends, but I am the alright. I appreciate your kindness, but you need not do the worrying."

Raven sat beside her and spoke "Star, we're allowed to worry. And we will."

She blushed again. She then looked at Robin.

He was obviously troubled. She knew this was because Slade was now involved. She feared that he would torture himself over Slade. She looked at him with pleading eyes, "may I now see the video?"

Robin tensed, and sat beside her with a sigh, "eat first."

"I can do both, Robin."

"Please?" he looked at her now, concern and fear on his face.

She complied, taking a few bites as the others sat in silence before she asked again, "now?"

Robin nodded, then looked at Cyborg, who was headed towards the screen to play the video.

Starfire felt Beastboy stand behind her, he was soon joined by Cyborg as the video started. She sat up as soon as she saw Blackfire's face. Even with the low quality of the video she could see the fear in her eyes. Something was wrong. Starfire was even more frightened when her sister began speaking Citadelian,

"Sister, I am so sorry for what I have done to you. I know we've had problems in the past but I never wanted this. I know Galfore told you I was on Earth less than twenty-four hours ago, and I want you to know that I have not been the one interfering with your communications. I got a strange call from Earth, and I investigated it. I'm afraid I am at the will of a maniac… And now, because of information that I gave him, he is after you. I tried to take this for you, sister, I truly did, but he wants to make your friends super as well. He told me that you have fought him before. I have always underestimated you. I am sorry. I also want to apologize for anything I maybe do to you, Kori… I fear that he.. he… the threats he makes… what he has… I cannot tell you, but if I disobey… I can't… I can't disobey. He is going to summon you and your friends, Kori… and you are his target… I'm so sorry. In all of my life I would never wish something so horrible on you than what he is after…. Kori… I fear you are already lost… Please forgive me."

The video went black, and Starfire fought not to cry. Slade made Kom attack her. She was his target. Starfire's brow furrowed. What could Slade have on Kom? What could be making her sister do these things. And what could Slade possibly want from her?

"Star?" Robin's voice was concerned and curious, "Star what is it?"

"Kom… Kom apologized. She did not wish to attack me… Slade… he is doing the blackmailing of her with something. Slade has been interfering with my communications…I do not understand… He desires something of me.. Kom tried to." She took a breath to settle herself, "from what I understand, what ever this desire is, Slade does not wish to acquire it from her, though Kom offered to give it. I do not understand… She is warning us. He will summon us soon. Blackfire cannot disobey."

Robin became pensive, "how did he get Blackfire? It doesn't make sense. She wasn't even in our system."

Raven eyed Starfire cautiously, "Starfire, what language was she speaking?"

"It is the language of the Citadel. Since she was heir to the throne it was required of her to learn it, especially since we were at war with them."

Raven nodded, "were you required to learn it?" Starfire froze, Raven took this as a no. Suddenly she and Raven sank through the couch into a portal. Starfire landed gently on Raven's bed. She looked up to find Raven staring at her. Fire burned behind the empath's eyes as she had read the emotions off of Starfire in the Ops room, "how did you learn it?" The words came out like a growl, low and feral. Starfire shuddered at the sound. She knew Robin would be coming to find her in seconds, as did Raven.

She put her hands on the alien's shoulders, "Starfire, how did you learn it." Her words were calmer now, but the still had some bite to them.

There was a knock on the door. "Raven? Star? We still have more to-"

Raven hissed her words at Robin, "yeah in a second," she did not break eye contact with the girl, "Starfire?"

Starfire finally answered her in a voice so small Raven strained to hear her, "lip contact."

Raven knew, she knew the instant she had sensed the anxiety, hurt, anger, and shame from Starfire earlier. She held her friend. She couldn't help but cry for her. She felt sobs wracking the alien's body as well.

Robin knocked again, and Raven used her powers to open the door. Robin entered to see the two girls holding onto each other for dear life, and felt anguish throughout his body.

She was raped on that ship. She had lost her parents, given to the enemy, raped, experimented on, captured again, and now Slade was after her. He approached his girlfriend and wrapped around her feeling her sobs.

He loved Starfire, and all this pain she had experienced, he could do nothing to stop it. Nothing to make it go away. He opened his eyes and glared at nothing.

All he could do was make sure Starfire was never hurt again.

If Slade went after Starfire, Robin would kill him.


	9. Chapter 9

_Shit's going to calm down again in the story. I have a lot of background for the characters to cover. And Robin and Star have to deal with all the shit uncovered last chapter…_

 _so this will probably be a long chapter with lots of dialogue. Sorry if that bores you._

 _Also. THIS STORY IS RATED M GUYS!_

Starfire exhaled, she was awake but she kept her eyes closed. She hadn't remembered falling asleep. She remembered crying, and she remembered making Raven cry. And Robin… oh Robin. He had been so upset. She knew he was angry. She wondered if he would even talk to her. She tried to sit up, but something held her to the bed. She looked down, strong arms encircled her,

"No." Robin's voice was soft.

Starfire turned over. She was face to face with a maskless Robin. He opened his eyes. They looked at her lovingly, he kissed her forehead.

Relief spread through Starfire. He did not hate her. She tucked her head under his chin and nuzzled his neck. He was shirtless, she kissed the base of his neck and he sighed.

He pulled her in closer, their bodies pressing together. Starfire stretched, arching her back.

She nudged his shoulder with her head and he turned onto his back, taking her hint. She maneuvered herself on top of him, straddling this stomach revealing that he was only in his boxers, his eyes widened at her movement for a moment, he then just smiled at her.

She took the hair tie she had stolen from Raven after her shower off of her wrist and began to put her hair up, Robin played with the hem of his shirt that she was wearing,

"Starfire why didn't you tell me?"

She put her hands on his chest then her chin on her hands. He brought the comforter up so it covered her,

"Robin, it is not something I care to remember, and it is no longer relevant in my life."

"No longer relevant? Starfire... It's just... so much has happened to you, it kills me that I don't know everything, yet." He ran his hands through his hair and spoke. His voice panicked, "oh, god, the way I kissed you in the laundry room… I PINNED you.. oh god."

She put a hand to his cheek, "Robin, I love you. I desire to kiss you. I desire to touch you. You have never made an advance at me that was not welcomed." She paused for a moment, "Is Raven alright?"

He stared at her, "Starfire… She's fine, she was worried about you." He sighed again, still concerned, "Starfire…"

"I have come to terms with what has happened to me, Robin. I was aware that it might happen when I was given to the Gordanians." She cocked her head, "I am thankful that now I can choose who to have the sexual relations with and that I feel love for them." She lifted a hand and touched his cheek, "I do love you, Robin, and I do want you. Please do not ever feel like you have ever made me feel uncertain about our intimacy."

A moment of silence.

"Richard." He spoke softly and Starfire looked at him curiously, "my name is Richard Greyson. I wanted you to know."

She kissed him and spoke against his lips, "I love you, Richard."

He held her tighter and deepened the kiss, "say it again."

"I love you, Richard."

Her words reignited the flame in him. He growled against her lips. She'd said she wanted him, and he had wanted her for so long. He flipped them over. She ran her hands up his back and into his hair, the action sent shivers down his spine. He fiddled with the hem of her shirt and she bit his lip. He took that as an invitation, his hand traveled under her shirt and up her body, finally coming to rest on her bare breast. He was shocked that she wasn't wearing a bra, until he remembered that he had collected her clothing for the night before. He had never been so thankful to himself in his life.

He traced her lips with his tongue before entering her mouth again, carefully lowering himself onto her form without putting all of his weight one her. His thumb went over her nipple and her hips gently bucked in an involuntary response and rubbed against him. He moaned at the contact. He used the hand that was still above her shirt to pull at her collar. She sat up and allowed him to dispose of her shirt.

As he stared down at the beautiful girl beneath him, her hands left his hair and traveled down the front of him, stopping on his defined abdomen muscles. He was back on her lips in an instant, traveling down her neck to her chest. He took her into his mouth the other breast into his hand, using his tongue to play with her nipple. She moaned and lowered hand. His boxers were suddenly much too tight. He played with the waist of her sweatpants, technically they were his but she was wearing them. She smiled at him and nodded. They were off in an instant. They were both only in their underwear.

He kissed her passionately, his hand snaking under the thin fabric, her hand seemed to mirror his movements for hers were playing with him, he moaned,

"Starfire," he growled if you do that then-" he moaned again as she continued to stroke him. His fingers entered her and she sighed against his mouth, " _X'hal,_ Richard."

He smirked against her lips and continued to play. She felt him pulling his boxers down, and he threw them off without interrupting their kiss or his fingers leaving her.

His free hand pulled down her underwear and threw them somewhere to his left.

He broke the kiss, panting heavily, "protection?"

"Tamaraneans can only conceive a few weeks out of the year, and I highly doubt that we could reproduce without assistance... And with the experiments from the Psions, I am unsure if I can conceive."

He nodded. He could ask about that later, "Starfire… Are you sure?" he looked at her, ready to stop if she said one word,

"Yes. I want you, Richard."

He let his hand trail down her bare, toned thighs, drinking in the feel of her skin. His tip was positioned between her folds and he pushed in.

She gasped at the feel of him filling her, and he grunted at her warmth surrounding him. He began to move, and Starfire did not mind. There was no pain.

He moved slowly at first and she moved with him. His hand left her breast, trailing down her body as he began to speed up. He began to look for her spot, praying that Tamaranean females had clitorises. He found it and rubbed it in time with his thrusts, earning a high pitched moan from Starfire.

She breathed his name and he began to lose himself in the pleasure, he felt her tightening around him as she met him thrust for thrust.

Robin groaned, feeling his climax building in his stomach.

He continued to rub her, earning more moans from her until she pulsed and contracted around him from her orgasm.

He closed his eyes and spilled into her before collapsing on top of her, a dopey smile on his face.

After she recovered from her climax, she began stroking his hair. He looked up at her and kissed her sweetly on the mouth.

"You're amazing." It was cliché and it made her blush, but it was the only thing he could think to say.

She kissed his nose, "as are you, Richard."

"I vote we just stay in bed all day."

"I would not argue with that."

He kissed her on the mouth again, pulling out of her. She sighed at the loss of contact, as did he. She curled into Robin's side as he laid next to her. She massaged his neck as he rubbed her lower back.

They had just done it, they had sex. Neither of them thought that this would happen today. It was still so early in their relationship… Although, most boyfriends and girlfriends do not live with each other for years as best friends before dating. If they really thought about it, their relationship turned into more after the morning after the Titan's were formed, they were just now beginning to label it.

They laid there in content silence for a while.

Starfire nuzzled into Robin's chest, "Robin, how can I assist Kom?"

Robin looked down at her. Her sister had almost killed her, and just because Star had received an apology, Star wanted to save her. It was easy to get on her good side, and very difficult to fall out of it. Star had one of the most painful pasts Robin had seen, but she was the most forgiving.

He sighed. "Star, we'll do what we can. If we can find her, we'll try to help. But if what Blackfire said is true and Slade is coming after you, I have a feeling she's going to come to us."

Starfire nodded. He was right. Blackfire came to her once, she would come again, "I am sorry for the damage that was caused, and for-"

He hugged her close, "Star, the only thing I was upset about is that I almost lost you. I love you, Star. I lost my mother, and I lost my father… I don't intend to ever lose you."

She tilted her head to kiss his cheek, and whisper in his ear, "I will not go anywhere, Richard." he turned to meet her lips.

"C'mon. I think we both worked up an appetite." Robin began to get up.

Starfire's voice was soft, "are you sure you would like to leave?"

He gave her a curious look, "yeah?'

A wicked smile played on her lips and she sat up, the blanket falling from her chest, "we would have to get dressed."

He was on her lips again in an instant.


	10. Chapter 10

_Okay, so I can update a lot more than I expected I guess? I'm making a liar out of myself hard core. Like, this story might finish up way quicker than I thought…_

 _Sorry I didn't Post yesterday!_

 _We still have a plenty of chapters left… but at this rate… oops._

Starfire sat on the roof, soaking in as much sunlight as she could through Robin's clothes. She sighed. There was so much she still did not understand, what could Slade be using to blackmail Kom? Starfire was not even aware that Slade knew she had a sister, and now he was suddenly forcing Kom to kill her? It did not make sense.

Starfire heard the door behind her open. She did not bother to look up, her friends were watching her very closely, they did not like to leave her alone for long. Whoever it was would be approaching her shortly.

She heard soft steps behind her,

"So, Robin seemed especially giddy this morning." Starfire giggled and Raven sat beside her, "I mean, do I really want to know?"

Starfire smiled at her wickedly, "I am not sure. You desire to know about Robin's and mine evolving intimacy?"

Raven offered her a playful shudder and smiled, "ew." Her smile faded and she looked at Starfire seriously, "are you okay? I mean, we're finding out so much about you so quickly. I really don't think that this is stuff you ever wanted to talk about, and now the situation is making you. I know you're uncomfortable, and I know you're sad. Is there a way we can help? A way we can make this easier?"

Starfire leaned her head on Raven's shoulder, "Raven, it is strange. On Tamaran, certain… events that have happened to me are shameful. I am not just referring to the unwanted sexual contact, but the being captured and experimented on… My starbolts…" Starfire allowed the burn of her powers to travel from her chest and through her arm, a star bolt sat in her hand, "they are shameful on my planet. A weakness. If I was ever shunned from this planet… Although Galfore would try, I could still be banished from Tamaran. As a member of the royal family, and the last of the And'r family allowed on Tamaran, I am to be the epitome of strength… and... I am not. Earth is my home and-"

"You thought that if we knew you whole story, we'd kick you off the team?" Raven's voice shook from the pain her friend was emitting. The redhead nodded at Raven, a sadness in her eyes, "Starfire, you are powerful. And after everything you've been through... You are the strongest person I know. I don't understand how your star bolts could be considered weak it just doesn't make sense."

"We are a warrior people. We use weapons, our strength… I possess something that allows me to distance myself from any threat and still attack, while others are putting their lives in a direct danger. Also, the pain that come with my star bolts… if the people of Tamaran learned of that… I would surely be…" She trailed off.

Raven's eyes widened, "the pain of your star bolts?! You have pain every time you use them?"

"My sister and I were injected with an overabundance of solar energy… I believe, that between the two of us, we have the equivalent of the energy of four stars within us. When we use our powers we must direct the energy, we feel it burning through our veins where ever it goes. A few days ago, my emotions were strained and I possessed less control of the energy… I could not properly… how do I explain this? Do the 'turning of it off'? I could not properly dissipate the energy for later use… It continued to burn freely inside me."

"When I was in your body… I remember the burning, I thought it was because I was using them wrong… it was so painful… you feel that every time?" Raven was hugging Starfire now.

"Yes, it is a burden I must bare. I wish to help people, if my star bolts are the best way to do that, then I will endure the pain that I must. Also, please do not feel as though you need to alert the others of this. I do not wish to concern them…"

Raven never knew. She thought that she was the only one with a terribly dark past. She thought that she was alone in her pain, but here was this girl. Alien to this world, but the most humane and human of them all. Open to everything, quick to forgive, quick to protect, and reluctant to inflict pain. She held her tightly, "can I heal it? The pain? Will it do anything?"

"I have upset you. Raven, it is nothing that can be helped. The past is the past. My star bolts have been useful, I am thankful for them. They keep my friends safe." She offered Raven a beaming smile, "do not worry for me, Raven. I am happy here on Earth. This is my home. And you are all my family. I would protect this planet with my life. It is here that I desire to belong and stay."

"You do belong here, Starfire. We would never ask you to leave. You brought us together, and you've kept us that way. And look at Robin, you make him better. When he gets obsessive, you bring him back. You do so much for everyone. We all love you, Star."

"Raven I desire to see you happy…"

Raven sighed, "what?" She did not like where this was heading.

Starfire turned her body towards her, "Raven, when will you tell Beastboy how you feel for him? You have helped Robin and I finally reach each other, and you and I are still working on Cyborg and Bumblebee, but when will you do something for yourself. I want to know that if anything were to ever happen to me, that you would have someone you could talk to like we do… I want you to be protected, Raven."

Raven hated Starfire's thought process, but Starfire's sincere concern was sweet, it was so like Starfire. Raven blushed, "you know I'm no good at expressing emotions, Star."

"You express how you are feeling perfectly, Raven. Do not let the anyone tell you differently." Starfire kissed Raven's cheek, "you are very dear to me, Raven. I just desire your happiness."

she look towards the lowering sun, "shall we consume dinner?"

Raven hugged her again then nodded.

###

"Where have you two been?" Robin snaked his arm around Starfire's waist and kissed her cheek.

Starfire beamed at him, "I have been consuming the sun, my love. Apparently my skin was famished."

Raven smirked, "while from what you two were emitting earlier you did a lot of work, Star."

Robin flushed while Starfire giggled. This teasing made the alien happy. Raven would normally make small jokes at the pair's expense. It was her way of inching the two closer together and, all things considered, it had worked.

Robin could finally form words, "you could SENSE that?!"

Raven chuckled darkly, "nope. But thanks for the confirmation." She looked toward the kitchen, "whose turn is it to make dinner?"

Starfire squeaked, "Oh! Mine I believe! I shall see if I can make the las-"

Robin chuckled, "Star with everything happening, Cyborg is in charge of dinner tonight. He wanted to do you a favor."

Starfire's eyebrow furrowed, "I appreciate this favor, but I desire to assist." She kissed Robin on the cheek, "please join me if you get the chance."

Starfire floated off toward the kitchen. Robin smiled and was about to follow, but Raven tapped his shoulder. Her eyes were downcast, something was definitely wrong,

"Raven?" Robin questioned, he did not like the look on her face at all.

"Robin, so much has happened to Star, and as much as I don't like it, I don't think we can just wait until she's ready to tell us anymore. We need the whole story… I think we should sit her down and… I hate to say this… make her tell us. I just found out that her star bolts burn her. They burn her every time she uses them."

" ** _What?!_** " Raven sensed rage, but it was not directed at Starfire in any way.

"She told me that she didn't want to tell you guys and make you worry. When we switched bodies… I remember it, the burning. I thought I just wasn't using them correctly. I thought it was just me. But, Robin, it was agonizing. That's why I only used them once, and I was grateful for that. The fact that she has to feel that every time… and there's nothing I can do. It's nothing I can heal. It's the overabundance of energy flowing through her. After training that day, she couldn't stop the heat. That's what happened. She momentarily lost control of the energy. You know I don't think she's a danger to anyone else… but…"

"It could hurt her." Robin said this darkly. He thought about all the noises she makes during battle, the grunts, the 'battle cries', those were cries of pain. She made those involuntarily.

"Robin, you remember when Slade used those nanobots against us. The pain? It's worse than that."

Robin's eyes widened. Those nanobots were designed to kill, and the pain Starfire was constantly feeling was WORSE than that? He shuddered at the thought. He had to train her in physical combat. If her star bolts hurt her that bad he had to give her different options. Raven shook her head.

"Yes, I'm sensing your thoughts, and no, she won't go for that. She said that her star bolts keep people safe. She's going to keep using them. They're a part of her. I wasn't even supposed to tell you about this, but I want you to keep an eye on her when I'm not around. Those experiments… they could have really fucked something up inside her, and I want to be ready for emergency healing if necessary. We are not losing her."

Robin nodded, "no. No we are not." Anger radiated off of his skin, "tonight."

Raven looked up at him wearily, "what?"

"We're getting the whole story from her tonight. One way or the other. We need to know. It's going to hurt, I have a feeling that it will be worse than we could ever imagine… but we need to know. Something in there could give us a hint to what Slade is after. She's telling us tonight."

He walked through the door.

Raven stopped him again, "Robin, I know it hurts that you don't know the whole story but you know Starfire. She's not telling you, because she doesn't want to hurt you."

He narrowed his mask, "yeah, well, me not knowing is hurting her. And I will never fucking allow that."

Even though the door was automatic, Raven still felt like it slammed.


	11. Chapter 11

_Okay. So Chapter 11. Time to wing it again… and currently there is a dog licking my foot._

Starfire groaned and sat on the bench, "Cyborg, it is my turn and I desire to help!"

"Nu-uh, little lady. I'm making my mom's famous spaghetti. Only I know the recipe. It's a family secret." Cyborg considered for a second, "get ova here."

Starfire leapt up and flew by his side, "yes? I may assist?"

"Yeah you can add these to the tomatoes." He gestured to the group of spices next to the stove, "I have to keep stirring."

Starfire did as instructed, "the red fruit, it is in whole form. Should it not be sauced?"

Cyborg chuckled, "it will be, we add the spices and cook it first, then we blend it."

"Ah, I see. This recipe, it was your mother's?"

Cyborg nodded.

"It is an honor to learn it friend." She gave him a smile and flew up to kiss his cheek, "I thank you. I do not know how to make many of the Earthen dishes. And to learn one so sacred…"

She trailed off and Cyborg hugged her, "it's no problemo, sis."

Robin and Raven entered. Robin looked menacingly angry. Raven seemed concerned. Starfire began to pour the spices in and spoke, "Raven, Robin? Are you the alright. You look as though a _yipfroawn_ has stolen you _garishka._ "

Raven smiled, she actually understood that reference, she had heard it before, "Starfire, our reproductive organs are safe. I assure you." Raven laughed and Robin neck snapped in her direction. No matter what kind of mood she was in, Starfire made Raven feel better. Starfire and Beastboy were the only ones who could ever accomplish this.

Cyborg guffawed with amusement, "well, Star, you won the prize today. That's the first time Rave's laughed in a while."

Robin shook his head and he couldn't fight the smile on his face. This was his Starfire. She fought to make others happy, and she was always concerned about their well being. She never allowed any of her friends to stay upset for long.

"Raven," he chuckled out, "you've gone soft."

Raven shrugged, her laughter had died as soon as Cyborg spoke,she glared at the two boys, "just think of it like this. At the rate you two are going, if I ever go rouge Star's the only one who would make it out." Raven smirked as the boy's faces contorted in horror,

"Raven, do not do the scaring of the boys." She leaned toward the empath and whispered, "they may begin to do the 'catching on'."

Now Robin chuckled, "planning on getting rid of me already, Star?"

She nodded, "Raven and I are deeply in love, Robin. I am sorry you found out this way."

Robin pulled Starfire into him by her waist and kissed her head, "well, I'm not giving her up that easy, Rave. Bring it on."

Raven smiled, "consider it brought. Cyborg, how long until dinner?"

Cyborg, who had been holding in his laughter, fought to form words. Breathing deeply until he was coherent, "five minutes. I have the best helper righ' here." He patted Starfire's shoulders, "that is if bird boy would let her work."

Robin leaned down to kiss Starfire's lips, then reluctantly released her, "don't call me bird boy, robo-butt."

"Uh-uh, you wanna go with me now?!"

The boys continued to playfully degrade one another, and Starfire took over stirring the tomatoes. Raven stood by her side, "you know. Robin might not let us hang out by ourselves now."

Starfire smiled wickedly at the empath, "he may try to keep us apart but we will find the way. Our affection is-"

Raven threw her hands into the air, "I'm done."

Beastboy jumped up from his spot on the couch, he had been waiting to chime in, "nice to meet you, Done! I'm Beastboy!"

The others looked at him and Cyborg shook his head, "B… play your video games. I'm not even gonna comment on that."

Beastboy mumbled curses and insults as he sank back into the couch, deflated.

Raven leaned close to Starfire and whispered, "and I want to date that?"

Starfire giggled, "at least you will be the funny one."

Raven nudged the redhead with her elbow, then collected the dishes to set the table.

She bit her lip, maybe forcing Starfire to tell them her past wasn't right. She obviously wasn't ready. Telling Robin about Starfire's star bolts had sealed her fate. There was no way Robin would let this go, not with Starfire in constant pain.

Cyborg brought Raven out of her thoughts, "Star, you're all set. I just have to blend the sauce up. It's a one man job. Go flirt with your boy."

Starfire bowed from her waist and flew to Robin, who had retreated to the couch to watch Beastboy's race game.

She laid her head on his shoulders and rubbed circles on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and massaged her shoulder. She spoke, "we only have until Cyborg blends the seasoned fruit, Robin. We must not get too comfortable."

Robin chuckled and kissed her head again. This was going to be the last time seeing that smile for a few hours. She was going to be upset when she was forced to tell them everything. There was no doubt in his mind, but this needed to end now.

"Dinner's ready, team!" Cyborg boomed this as if all of the titans were spread throughout the tower.

Robin stood and offered his hand to Starfire. She took it and follow him to the table where Cyborg was already scooping unbelievably large servings onto everyone's plates. Robin sighed at his plate. Again, there was no meat. It seemed as if after Starfire went meatless, Cyborg altered his whole menu around her. Most of his meals were meatless now too. It just confirmed what Robin had always thought, this team would do anything for Starfire. Raven would laugh and give hugs. Cyborg would make her meatless meals and spend hours teaching her about mechanics. Beastboy would spend hours purring on Starfire's lap, but that was for his own sake as well. It drove Robin crazy. And Robin…. he knew that he would do anything for Starfire. He would find a way to defy physics and fly if it was the only way to catch her… and now he was going to do this…

"Starfire, you need to tell us about everything. We need the whole story. Everything."

Cyborg choked on his food, Beastboy stared, and Raven closed her eyes tightly. Starfire just stared at her food.

"Star, I'm so sorry. But we have to know. We have to find out what Slade wants." Her face held no emotion. He took her hand, "Star? Ba-"

"How dare you." Cyborg looked at him darkly, "How fucking dare you. Every time we've ever asked for your whole story you shut us out, you lock yourself in you room and hide. How dare you try to make her tell us-"

"Slade isn't after me, Cyborg. He's after her."

Cyborg rose from his chair, "I know. You know what else I know? If Starfire knew what Slade wanted from her, she would tell us. She does't know. That's why it's not important. How dare yo-"

"Please stop." Starfire placed a comforting hand on Cyborg's arm, "Robin is right. It is time. Perhaps there is something I have missed that you will see. I have… done wrong…"

"Star…" Cyborg collapsed back into his chair. She sounded so forlorn, empty. Her eyes were glazed.

Robin grabbed her hand and squeezed, she dd not return the affection, but she allowed it.

" I am unsure of where to begin… I was born to Myand'r and Luand'r. Komand'r is the eldest child, I, Koriand'r, am the second child, Ryand'r was the youngest. I was born during a time of war. Kom was the only one of us to have seen Tamamran in a time of peace. She would often tell us of how… that is unimportant. During a time of war, the royal family is expected to be well mannered, well trained, and well educated. My siblings and I went to Okaara with Galfore and his wife to learn and train. Okaara is a planet where Tamaran's nobles would train. Many of our generals were trained there. Kom and I became skilled in many forms of combat. Kom excelled at the spear, I at the bow and arrow… Ry desired to train with the sword, but he was too young at the time to undergo special training. I trained with a sword and the bow so I could train Ryand'r privatley. He was truly skilled. There was a raid on Okaara during one of our holidays, Galfore's wife was lost. My mother feared that the planet would be attacked once more, so she summoned us home. The night that we arrived home… I am still unsure of what occurred… however, my mother was lost. The next morning I was given to the Citadel in an exchange of peace… by giving up the heir to their throne Tamaran would avoid attack and-"

Beastboy interrupted, "Heir.. but I thought you were second born?"

He was promptly shushed.

Starfire continued, "Yes, while on Okaara, my siblings and I competed in the _Ineyon'dr._ It is a competition. On Tamaran, birth order does not determine the heir to the throne, it is the offspring's 'strength.' I won the right to rule over the rights of my siblings. This angered my father. He had believed that Kom should be the next Grand Ruler. I agree with him, Kom is very skilled, I had won by the 'luck'. However, by being surrendered to the Citadel, I was stripped of my rights to the throne. Once taken, I was considered deceased. That made Kom the heir, and Ryand'r second in line. I apologize for the confusion."

She offered Beastboy a sincere smile. "My experiences with the Gordanians are not worth mentioning, for they are the same for every slave and every prize. We were stripped of our planet's attire and given uniforms, and our powers were repressed by our restraints. During my fourth Earthen year in the Citadel one of my friends, a slave, was murdered and I rebelled. I was joined by many other slaves, I managed to escape my restraints… the gordanian lost his life… I took as many slaves as I could carry and flew as far as I could… I ended up two systems away from the Vegan system. I released the slaves on planet that swore to protect them, and set a message to Tamaran, I told father that I had escaped and that I desired to come home. I waited a week, but I did not hear from him. I decided to contact Ryand'r. I sent him and Kom my location. The next day, they appeared. They were going to take me back to Tamaran. We were traversing the Traxeaux System when we were ambushed by the Psions. You have already been made aware of the process that occurred for my star bolts to be created… I did not get to see my siblings. The Psions locked us in separate cells. It was not until I escaped the first time that I learned of Ryand'r's death…"

"The first time?" Robin prompted, she had zoned out, he was trying to bring her back.

"Oh, yes. I escaped when I heard Kom screaming. I freed her. She.. she turned on me and told me of Ryand'r's passing. She blames me. If I had not sent him a communication, he would have remained safely on Tamaran, along with Kom."

"Starfire." Robin put his arm on her shoulder, "it's not your-"

"It is Robin. I contacted my siblings and we were captured. When father heard of Kom and Ryand'r's capture… he… resorted to _D'awairorles,_ or in your language, the warrior's death. Kom was left with no family due to my actions…"

 _"_ Star.." Robin hated seeing her like this… she looked defeated, "I'm-"

"You desired the whole story, correct? There is more. Kom left me on the Psion ship… I was recaptured… I did face more experimentation and in the midst of these experiments the Psions made the mistakes of bringing me near a solar source and allowing me to recharge. I escaped and set off to find Kom. I did find her, but she had alerted the Citadel of my location and I was taken back… My emotions were… my powers were not useful for quite a long period of time… it was not until I heard that the Citadel was planning to take more Tamaranean slaves that I felt enough anger to break out. Then I came to Earth." She gave her friends a weak smile, "and I had the honor of meeting you, my friends." She paused, "I do not see how any of this information could be useful to Slade… there is nothing in my experiences that could assist him, unless his desire was to sell me to the Citadel… Slade is intelligent though, yes? He would know that the Citadel would just take him as well… he cou-" she continued to babble.

Her friends were silent and just let her continue. Now they knew. She didn't go into much detail… and really they didn't want her to. She lost everything. Her family and, because of her father, her freedom. Cyborg glared at Robin. Robin rested his head in the hand that was not around Starfire. He finally tuned into her again.

"I wonder if he knows of my Okaarean training… I do not see how my training would be of any use to him." She was still babbling.

"What kind of training do you have, Star? I mean other than weapons…" Raven was honestly curious.

Starfire look to her, "Many forms of the hand to hand combat, the points of pressure of many different races, many defensive maneuvers… With my star bolts, I have never found a need for this training, I can always engage and enemy from a great distance."

Robin looked at her, shocked, "can we see? I've only ever seen you fight with your star bolts or your strength." He gave her a wicked grin, "can you kick my ass?"

She did not return the smile, "I am unsure… I have not used my Okaarean training for a long time. Might we try in the morning. I am weary." She offered him a small smile and kissed his cheek and waved to her friends, "pleasant _shlorvaks_ friends." She walked from the Ops rooms.

Raven pushed her plate away, and spoke. Her voice breaking, "she walked…"

She stared at the Tamaranean's uneaten dinner.


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12… I am unsure how many chapters I want in this… I have a test in about an hour, but I'm doing this instead… fuck my education right?_

 _I swear too much. I need to fix that._

 _Drugs are bad, kids. ( I don't do them, but I thought I'd try to be a role model. FAIL)_

Robin knew she was mad at him. He half expected her to come to his room and ask him for an explanation, then he would tell her that he knew her star bolts hurt her and then they would fight…

Robin blinked, Starfire was kinder than him. She hated fighting, with anyone and everyone. She wouldn't go near him for a while… Robin's heart stopped. He was her support system and he turned on her. He got out of bed and began to run to her room. He didn't care that it was three thirty in the morning. He needed to apologize.

He froze as he turned the corner. Cyborg was plugged into the wall outside her door and Beastboy was in dog form sleeping on his lap,

"Not gonna lie, I thought you would be out here first. Rave's inside with her." Cyborg spoke so darkly, Robin knew he was a few words from a sonic cannon to the face, "why would you do that, Rob? Force her to tell us like that? She's already forgiven you… we haven't."

Robin ran his hand through his hair, "I found out that her star bolts burn her every time she uses them. It physically hurts her to fight… I needed to know if there was more."

Cyborg's eye widened for a moment,then he reverted back to his dark expression, "is it something I can fix? That Raven can heal?"

Robin shook his head.

"Fuck, and that's just like Star not to say anything, too worried about us. I never even thought of the possibility that her bolts could hurt her… now it makes sense…"

Robin shot up at that, "what makes sense?"

"when Slade had you, and we found out about the nanobots. I took BB, Rave, and Star all for private scans, looking for permanent damage, asking them about their pain levels. BB, ranked it a ten, of course. Raven said eight… Hell, even I gave it at least a seven." He looked at his feet, "Star gave it a two. She said the only thing that made it seem unbearable to her was that she couldn't control her body… I thought she was being tough…but the pain was literally nothing to her." He shook his head and chuckled, but it was empty, "explains why our girl can really take a hit."

Robin looked at Cyborg still shocked, "I'm with Raven, the nanobot pain was an eight… Star said two?"

Cyborg nodded, "Slade underestimated her… let's hope he keeps doing that."

Robin sunk to the floor next to Cyborg, "he won't. If he's after her, I have a feeling that he knows everything about her."

Cyborg gave a small smile, "not everything. He can't possibly know that lengths she'll go to protect us or this planet. He'll underestimate her. He sees the warrior side of her, not our side."

Robin tilted his head up, looking at the ceiling, his he'd resting on the wall, "I don't know if that will be enough, Cy."

Cyborg huffed, "don't **you** underestimate her. Slade can, you can't. I hope she whoops your ass tomorrow."

Robin looked up at him, shocked, "she's going to fight me?"

Cyborg nodded, "she said that if you want to see her trainin' she'll show ya, you're her leader. She said it in her eloquent way of course."

Robin put his head in his hands, "I should act like more than just a leader."

Cyborg thumped him on the back, "then do it. Stop second guessing yourself. If you hurt her. I'll-" he chuckled, "who am I kidding, I wouldn't even get a punch in. Raven will tear you apart. I have a feelin' she's good at the whole 'torture' thing."

Robin shook his head, "I have to keep her safe."

Cyborg put a hand on his shoulder, " **we** will."

The door slid open and Raven stepped out. Beastboy seemed to instantly sense her presence. He jumped up and shifted, staring at the empath for answers. Cyborg and Robin stood as well, eagerly awaiting news.

Raven raised an eyebrow, and shook her head, "Brothers and boyfriends… I just don't understand you guys-" she sighed, "she's fine. We're going to sleep. I'm just going to get a pillow." Robin raised an eyebrow,and Raven glared at him. She spoke, "I'm staying with her."

Cyborg sat down again, "annnnnddd we're stayin' right out here."

Beasboy shifted and barked in agreement, settling on Cyborg's lap again.

Cyborg looked down at the dog in disdain, "you know, B. I ain't too comfortable with this."

Beastboy growled and shifted into a raptor then rested his head back on to the half-human.

Cyborg chuckled, "thanks, B. Now I look as tough as I am."

The changeling didn't respond.

Raven looked to Robin, "Star told me about more of her training…" A wicked gleam and smile sat on her face, "you're fucked." She walked towards her room.

Robin sighed and sank back onto the floor next to Cyborg, "how do you say 'fuck' in Tamaranean?"'

" _Gobkta."_ Cyborg replied, his eyes closed.

Robin put his head in his hands, " _Gobkta."_

 _###_

Starfire awoke to the sound of Raven's light breathing. She slowly rose from the bed, careful not to rouse the empath. Raven must have been awake late the previous night, for she was fast asleep. Starfire left her friend to sleep and wandered quietly over to her dresser, grabbing some of her training clothes.

On Okaara, fights and training were usually done nude, or in the least amount of clothing possible. This was so observers could clearly see the actions being completed, the muscles moving beneath the skin, and being nude was very natural to her people anyway. Starfire sighed, her friends would not appreciate fighting in such a state. She opted for her black spandex shorts and a black sports bra for these would allow easier combat movement than her uniform would. She snuck out of her room and muffled a squeak when she almost tripped over the sleeping forms Cyborg, Robin, and a green velociraptor. She smiled at the sentiment, she loved all of her friends dearly. She stroked Robin's hair, he stirred, but he did not wake. She retreated back into her room and retrieved a blanket, which she settled over the sleeping boys. She then tiptoed around their bodies, desperately wishing that she could fly. She sighed again, trying to see the bright side of her lack of flight… at least she would not be tempted to 'cheat' during combat.

She reached the bathroom and started the shower, allowing it to reach a searing heat. She stepped in and sighed at the feeling of her hot skin under the even hotter water. She allowed it to relax the knots in her back. She would definitely have to stretch and warm up for a few hours before she fought Robin. She cleaned herself and turned off the water, stepping out onto the towel she had laid upon the floor. She wrung out her hair and put it into a dancer's bun, her face framing layers falling back around her face after a few seconds. She threw her sports bra on, then her shorts. Underwear would just restrict her movements, the garments she wore were tight enough, they would not move. She did not fear showing anything. She hung her towel then traveled to the training room.

On her walk over, she decided she would stretch, practice her acrobatics and tumbling, then her combat. Her stretching began simple enough, arms over then head, touching her toes, but then she grabbed her leg from behind and straightened it above her head, she rose onto her toes and held the position, before she did the same for the other legs. Her stretches became downright impressive, bordering on contortion. She rose from a floor stretch, and sprang backwards, lingering in the air to do a few body rotations. She then completed a list of tumbles, aerials, layouts, pikes, and tucks. Her people's feline origin was evident in every move. She landed a particularly difficult combination, then approached her punching bag. There was not an ounce of sweat on her skin or any sign of lethargy in her features.

Robin, who had been watching her warm up ran his hand through his hair. He was aroused, and terrified. He knew Starfire had some acrobatic skills, but he thought those had stemmed from her flying. And here she was, flightless, doing combinations he would abstain from. Starfire had woken him when she placed the blanket on him, he'd watched her head for the bathroom. He had changed into basketball shorts and a loose tank top. He was about to enter the training room until she began on the punching bag. His girlfriend put his combat skills to shame. Her strength was evident in each hit. The flexibility of her kicks made Catwoman look stiff. He shook his head.

Beastboy appeared next to him, "I talked to Cy. We're all going to fight her." He shuddered as the Tamaranean-strength bag took a particularly ruthless kick, "I'm up first."

Robin looked at him, "what? Why?"

Beastboy shrugged, "we're going to use our powers. Cyborg said he wants to prepare her for anything Slade might have."

Robin nodded, but Beastboy spoke again, "and I also think he wants the tension to kill you."

Robin sighed, "that sounds about right."

Beastboy shot him a smile before he ran into the training room, Robin didn't even have time to stop him, "hey Star! Guess what! Guess what! Cy, Rae, and I get to fight you too! I mean, if that's okay? I get to go first! You are going down!"

Starfire actually laughed, "it is the o and kay Beastboy, I look forward to sparring with you," she rubbed his head, Robin felt a pang of jealousy deep within him, "and I do believe it is you who will be going 'the down'."

Beastboy grinned, "can we go now, Star?"

Starfire cocked her head, "you do not wish to warm up?"

Beastboy shook his head, "running to go get Cy and Rae will warm me up enough! I'll be right back, Star!" He shifted into a cheetah and shot from the room.

Starfire giggled and made eye contact with Robin, she offered him a small smile. It seemed somewhat empty to him though, as did her laughter.

"Hey, Star." Robin finally had the courage to approach her.

"Greetings." She was smoothing out the places on her punching bag where she had left dents, "I trust you slept well?"

He nodded, "so you're fighting the whole team now… We're all going to get our asses kicked aren't we?"

"I am unsure… I have not fought the hand to hand in a long while. I fear I will be the iron oxide coated metal."

"Rusty," he corrected absentmindedly, "and I saw you, Star. If that's you rusty, I'm not sure I want to see you well practiced."

"Richard." She spoke his name softly, it sent shivers down his spine, "any obstacle that has entered your path, you have fought and gained victory over. I do not believe that fighting me will be any different."

He pulled her into a hug, kissing her head. She was too sweet, after the horrible thing he had done to her yesterday, she was too sweet, "Star, I'm so sorry. I never should have-" She interrupted him with a kiss, and he pulled her in. Desperate not to let go. Cyborg was right, she did forgive him. He knew he didn't deserve it, but she did.

"Hey you two, I wanna see B get his ass kicked, is that gonna to happen or…" Cyborg waggled his eyebrows.

Starfire kissed Robin's nose then turned to her friends, "friends, I must offer a warning. There are many ways I may fight you. On Okaara, we are taught to give in to the instinct of battle. I will do my best not to injure you. I may go for certain pressure points on your body, if you lose the ability of movement, do not fret. I will reverse it. I cannot think of any other warnings…" She trailed off.

Horror was evident on the Titan's faces, "um.. maybe I don't wanna go first." Beastboy could barely squeak the words out.

Starfire smiled sweetly at her friends, "do not fear. I have not fought this way in a long while, I am probably overestimating my abilities."

Robin peered at his friends over Starfire's shoulder and shook his head.

Cyborg chuckled, "welp, B, unless you have some changes you wanna make to your will, we should start. Day's a wastin'"

 _Next up is some sparring. Chapter might be up tonight._


	13. Chapter 13

_Fighting, fighting, fighting._

 _My last chapter felt rushed, I am so sorry. That is why I am going to have a better one up ASAP. This night come out the same night as Chapter 12 came out, or the next day._

 _We'll see._

 _Enjoy, I'm sorry!  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Starfire shifted her position, opting to crouch on the ground. Her eyes held worry for her friend. She was trained to kill. She felt the battle instinct scratching at the back of her mind, she usually denied it, but she was going to set it free in a moment. As soon as she heard the….

The whistle rang. Something instantly changed within Starfire. Her face went blank and she ran towards Beastboy. Her footsteps were silent. Beastboy shifted into a tiger. Starfire slid between his front legs, then slammed two fingers into a spot on his left hip. She stopped sliding once she was out from under him. Staying in a crouch, she awaited his next move.

Beastboy tried to run at her, but his left leg seemed stuck to the ground. He couldn't lift it, or even inch it forward. He shifted into a human and cursed, still unable to move his leg, "what the fuck?"

Starfire's face was empty. This would be over quickly. He shifted his arm into an octopus tentacle and shot it at her. She ducked out of the way and ran towards his right leg, hitting the same spot with the same two fingers.

"FUCK." This time Beastboy screamed it. He was unable to move, and unable to shift from the waist down. Starfire leapt at Beastboy and put him in a scissorhold. She brought him down flat on his back, then rolled away from him. Beastly could not get up. The breath left his lungs,

"I'm done." He wheezed, "I'm out."

The whistle blew again, signaling the end of the round. Starfire slid to Beastboy's side, "Oh, I am sorry, friend."

"S'okay, Star. You kicked my ass." He looked at her with pleading eyes, "can I have my legs back please?"

Starfire nodded and hit the same place on his hips again, then helped him to his feet. She walked with him towards the others.

"Well, B, you lasted forty-eight seconds." Cyborg grinned at Starfire, "little lady, you are quick."

Starfire blushed, "I did not mean to harm him."

Beastboy patted Starfire's shoulders, "it didn't hurt at all, 'cept when I hit the ground. The weird voodoo leg thing you did, it just made my legs feel too heavy to lift. I couldn't move them an inch. Cyborg, if she hits you with that, you're screwed."

Starfire shook her head, "Cyborg is not susceptible to the Tamaranean _rõhupuntiden_. If I attempted that, I fear I would damage my fingers."

Robin grinned at her, "so Cyborg will just get his ass kicked the old fashioned way?"

Starfire cocked her head at him, "it will be interesting to see what happens."

Beastboy lifted an eyebrow at her, "you mean you don't know?"

Raven replied for her, "Star told me about this last night. Tamaranean combat is all instinct. She just lets her warrior self take over. Everything she decided to use on you she planned in a second. She notes any weaknesses she can exploit and exploits them. That's why she's afraid she'll hurt us. It's all instinct."

Starfire nodded at Raven, "to train us, we were quite the 'literally' thrown into dangerous situations. Everything we learned was to become a second nature."

Robin exhaled, "I'm glad I'm going last. I couldn't see any flaws in you, Star. It was all too quick…"

Raven gave him a wicked smile, "you may not find one Robin. She's taught not to have any in combat."

Starfire nodded, "because our powers are so focused on emotion, Tamaraneans must have an infallible alternative should our powers fail."

Robin's eyes widened.

Cyborg huffed, "well, my metal ass is fried. Let's go, Star."

Starfire walked with Cyborg to the field, "Cyborg, I feel I may damage your systems… I do not wish to.."

Cyborg grinned at her, "it's alright Star. Raven knows how to put me together."

Starfire nodded grimly.

"It's okay, Star. I asked for this. I wanna see my sister in action." Cyborg grinned at her.

Starfire looked at him with pleading eyes and sighed, "I just worry."

Cyborg chuckled, "worry after you kick my ass."

"you two ready?" Robin called. Starfire could feel his eyes on her. He was desperatley seeking a fault in her combat, as his training instructed him to. A part of her hoped he would.

"Yeah," Cyborg called, "at my funeral be sure to tell Bee she looks hot in Spandex for me."

"I am prepared." Starfire called, the scratching renewing.

The whistle blew.

A sonic blast left Cyborg's arm, but Starfire was already landing a sweeping kick at his legs behind him. He had not even seen her move. He landed on his face. Tripping over himself to stand back up. Starfire was awaiting his next move. Cyborg ran at her, a fist raised in the air. Once he launched the punch, Starfire caught it, she was about to twist it, but stopped. She tossed him away from her, and crouched down again.

Raven shook her head, "she's holding back. She scared herself."

Robin blanched, "what?"

"She realized that she could've torn off his arm. She fought through and stopped herself. Given her training… that's pretty amazing. I don't know if she'll be able to do it again."

Robin looked at Starfire again, "I found a weakness. She'll always hold back… no matter what. "

Raven shook her head, "in this situation, I'd call it more of a strength. She was trained to kill."

Robin's eyes widened under his mask. She was trained to KILL? He thought back to all her previous fights… She had this ability to kill most of her life. She'd fought this instinct in every battle she's ever fought. She was incredible.

She had knocked Cyborg to the ground again. Robin could tell his human half was getting tired… so could Starfire. She began to tempt him in to using his cannon, for that seemed to take the most energy out of him. She flipped and tumbled out of the way before any of the blasts could even dream of hitting her.

Cyborg's legs were swept from under him again. He landed on his butt, "I'm done. This ain't going no where. I haven't laid a hit on her yet." He stared her down, "and she aint even sweatin'!"

Starfire had to blink a few times before she could speak, "on Okaara, the temperatures would often exceed one hundred degrees Fahrenheit, our bodies become used to fighting in hostile conditions." She rose from her crouch, "you are finished sparring Cyborg?"

Cyborg nodded, "you wore out my battery, girl, and after a full night's charge too… how long were we sparring?"

Robin shook his head, "it was only twenty minutes, Cy, your battery has gone longer."

Cyborg sighed, "fine, then it's my pride man. I can't even touch her." He shook his head, "what's a cyborg to do?"

Starfire cocked her head concern in her eyes, "shall I do the holding still?"

Cyborg pulled her in for a hug, his heart melted, "naw, sis. Just got my ass kicked is all. You did good."

Raven tapped Cyborg's arm, "I guess that means it's my turn." Her eyes fell on Starfire, "do you need a break, Star?"

Starfire shook her head, "no, Raven I do not. I am still adamant on refraining from combat against you, Raven."

Raven put a hand on her shoulder, "Star, if you hurt me, I can self heal. But you won't hurt me. Look how controlled you were during your fight with Cyborg."

Cyborg blanched, "controlled?"

Raven nodded without glancing up at him, "she could've torn off your arm."

Cyborg put a hand on his head and retreated towards the others in silence.

"Starfire, please? I will tell you if I need to stop. I promise." Raven pulled Starfire in for a hug. Raven could sense that this was becoming emotionally draining for the Tamaranean, "besides, you have one more battle to use to intimidate Robin. You don't want to wish it away, do you?"

Starfire offered a melancholy smile.

Raven pushed her away playfully, "now go get in position."

Starfire complied, dropping back into her crouch. Closing her eyes, she listened to her instinct.

It cruelly picked at every movement Raven made. When she swung her arms, it picked up on the lesser trained muscles. When she took a breath, it noted where her pressure points were. It even pointed out where Starfire could easily grab and break her- Starfire shuddered.

She took a breath. Starfire knew exactly how this spar would go.

The whistle blew.

Rocks encased in black magic rose from the ground, trying to capture the Tamaranean. She hopped from rock to rock, jumped to the ground, somersaulted to avoid the boulder thrown her way, and grabbed Raven's leg from her futile attempt at a kick. Starfire hit the pressure point on Raven's hip rendering her leg useless.

Raven raised herself off of the ground and onto a black disc. This wasn't good, thirty seconds in, and she had already lost her ability to move her right leg. Beastboy was right, it felt heavy. She tried to heal it, but it was as though it was being blocked.

Raven swung more rocks at the red headed alien bounding her way. Raven could sense her, she was empty of all emotion. She was acting on instinct, not thought. Raven had to put up more of fight then this,

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

The rocks and boulders flew around the field with more speed and more power, but Starfire still neatly tumbled and leapt out of the way as though they were going in slow motion. She was approaching Raven fast. Raven levitated further upwards. But she knew that she was simply delaying the inevitable. Starfire waited then leapt onto a boulder that would swing around Raven, she tackled Raven off of her disc. They both began to plummet to the field. Starfire twisted so she would take the brunt of the fall, hissing in pain. She hit the empath's chakra with her two fingers, then her left leg. Raven narrowed her eyes for a moment, then widened them in shock,

"I'm… I'm done…. I can't use my powers." She turned to her friends, a mix of terror and amazement on her face, "she learned how to block my powers."

As soon as she turned to Starfire, she could see the kindness enter her eyes. She quickly hit her chakra and her hips again, and Raven felt the weight lift off of her body.

Starfire looked near tears as she inspected her friend, lifting her arms and her cloak, "I am so very sorry, Raven. Are you unharmed? I did not mean to block your powers… I over stepped my boundary. I should be punished. I am so so-"

Raven placed a hand on Starfire's cheek, "Starfire, you were amazing. And you wouldn't even let me get hurt. You scraped your shoulder up protecting me. Come here."

Raven placed a healing hand on Starfire's shoulder, then used her cloak to wipe the blood, "that pressure point trick, _rõhupuntiden_?" Starfire nodded. Raven continued, "it's amazing."

Starfire furrowed her brow and mumbled something, she took Raven's hand and inspected the palm, "I believe that I could teach you if…" Starfire poked around, she placed two fingers in the middle of Raven's palm, spiraling them out further from the center, it seemed as though she was counting in Tamaranean. Suddenly she pressed into Raven's hand, a heat ran up Raven's arm, Raven gasped. Starfire smiled, "you have the _ivergo_ response. You can indeed learn the _rõhupuntiden."_

Raven took her hand back from Starfire, inspecting it, "what was that?"

Starfire smiled, "it is _ivergo._ You see, _rõhupuntiden_ is a blockage of the energy that exists inside all sentient beings. The _ivergo_ response means that you have enough energy within yourself to manipulate the energy of others. You do not need more energy than another, just enough within yourself."

Robin had approached the girls, and had heard the conversation. The simple fact that Starfire could block Raven's powers made him wonderer what else the _rõhupuntiden_ could do,

"do I have the ivy.. iva-"

Starfire giggled, "the _ivergo?_ I will check." The team stifled a gasp as Starfire removed Robin's glove as though it was an everyday exchange. She began the same process that she had done on Raven's hand. When she pressed into his hand a small jolt of heat shot up his arm.

Starfire sighed, "it is much weaker. Raven's abilities are most likely what strengthens hers… I can teach you… but we will need to discipline your energy first."

Robin nodded, "I'd really like to learn. How did you learn this, Star. Was it a normal ability on Okaara?"

Starfire shook her head, "no, I was taught this by a warrior who had come to Okaara before me. She was very skilled." She began to put Robin's glove back on, "being as I was a princess, many warriors thought it an honor to teach the grand ruler's offspring their unique skills. Rege'v taught me the _rõhupuntiden_ between our trainings. She was very patient and very kind. She would teach this much better than I. She had a wonderful way of explaining everything."

"Is Rege'v back on Tamaran?" Robin was curious. If Starfire had a friend that could teach them an ability as amazing as this, they would have to take it.

Starfire shook her head, "Rege'v is deceased. She was lost during the war."

Robin inwardly cursed. He hadn't even thought of the possibility that there was still more pain within Starfire. Her training was such a small part of her story she didn't go into detail. Robin didn't expect her to.

"I'm sorry." It was all he could say.

"Rege'v is with _X'hal_. She often spoke of the lover she lost. I suppose they are reunited." She offered him the smallest of smiles.

Robin smiled back, "so you're ready to take me on?"

Raven tugged at his cape, "I'm not sue that's such a great idea anymore. Starfire… how are your emotions? Your powers?"

A strange feature crossed Starfire's face, "My powers are… my strength was lost during my fight with Beastboy. However, I am sure I can still access my star bolts."  
Cyborg cursed, "you fought me without your crazy alien strength?! Damn, I quit."

Raven kept her eyes on Starfire, "can you do it?"

Starfire thought for a second, then nodded, "I am able to. I am afraid I will require the rest of the day to recover my powers no matter what."

Raven nodded, "I figured we crossed that line a while ago."

Robin looked at his girlfriend, "what's she talking about?"

"Do you remember when I told you why I disliked battling my sister?"

Robin's eyes widened, "it's emotionally taxing, and you're fighting us… I didn't even…"

Starfire gave him a small smile and dropped into her crouch, "A final spar would not do the hurting."

Robin chuckled, "speak for yourself."

"If y'all are ready, I'm gonna blow the whistle." Cyborg looked between the two.

They sighed and entered their battle position.

Robin was looking curiously at Starfire, who was staring at him with a strange expression. She stood, "Cyborg, please blow the whistle."

He complied, Starfire shuddered, but did not move. Robin held his position. Starfire looked towards Raven, then towards Robin again.

He finally spoke, "what?"

Starfire shook her head and crouched again. She was waiting for him to move first, as he expected. He ran towards her, and began to engage her. His first flying at her in neatly planned attacks. She blocked every one. She quickly dropped into an illusion, capturing his arms in her leg. She moved quickly rotating back up, she punched, stopping centimeters before connecting with Robin's neck. She released he arms and flipped away from him, still looking at him with a strange expression. Robin roared and attacked again.

The continued this for what seemed like hours. Robin was sweating, but the only sign Starfire showed of tiring was her slight panting. He would attack and she would block. He would attack and she would block. He hadn't laid a punch on her yet. And she always stopped before actually making contact with her punches or kicks.

He tackled her, frustrated. He knew that he had exposed several weaknesses, but she would not exploit them, "what are you doing?!"

Raven had spoke to him about a fierce instinct, but here he was battling his sweet, timid, skilled, girlfriend.

Starfire shook her head, "I do not understand… It is quiet.'

"What is?"  
She flipped her body out from under his. She feigned a kick at him, but illusioned again, using her arm to knock his feet out from under him. He landed and looked up at her.

"The instinct, it is quiet. Usually it is directing the battle. But it is… it is quiet when sparring you."

Robin stood up. Making a gesture at Cyborg to stop the fight, "well even without it you could've kicked my ass. I-"

Starfire shook her head, "you misunderstand, I am not concerned about the silence… just… curious. It is.. difficult to explain.. perhaps, Raven?" She raised her voice when she spoke the empath's name, calling her over.

Raven stared at Starfire, "what was that? I could sense you the whole time. You never gave in."

Starfire shook her head, "Raven, it was gone."

Raven tilted her head, "I'm going to go meditate with Star. You guys can go complain about how you got your asses kicked, then beg Star to teach you how to fight like a girl later."

Raven grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the tower.

Starfire looked back at Robin. It was strange to fight him, even more so than the others, she expected that but not to this extent. Her instincts had not worked. She had felt as though she was fighting him blind. Sparring him was conflicting for her, it felt as though if she actually landed a hit on his skin, that he would crumble away, and so would she.

Tears prickled at her eyes, "Raven,"she croaked, "I feel strange."

Raven pulled the Tamaranean into her room, "I know."


	14. Chapter 14

_Teen Titans Go is like the weirdest show on this planet. Can't we just have the real Titans?_

 _Eh, whateeeeeever…_

Raven read Starfire again. It was strange, during each fight, Starfire turned into this empty version of herself. She was gone, she let her body do what it needed to do… But against Robin, she was present the entire time. She was precise, but still herself. Raven shook her head,

"could it be because you two… well… um?" Raven felt herself blushing.

Starfire shook her head, unembarrassed, "couples that make love still spar often. As do couples that confess their emotions."

Raven arched her eyebrow, "there's a difference?"

Starfire nodded, "yes. On Tamaran lives are often cut quite short. We are taught to act. If you feel the sexual attraction for another, and they reciprocate that attraction, they engage in coitus. If a couple experience 'love' they are often married quickly."

Raven tilted her head, "you guys don't really complicate anything do you?"  
Starfire smiled, "we do not usually have the time to."

Raven smiled sadly, "I'm sorry, that must've been a hard life."

Starfire shook her head, "it strengthened many bonds and allowed many of my people to find love. I am thankful for my customs."

Raven shook her head, "so if emotions aren't involved, why weren't your instincts working?"

Starfire considered, "the only explanation that I can conceive is that I was physically drained. Fighting against one's friends or family for for extended periods of time is quite taxing on a Tamaranean. Perhaps I was the mentally exhausted."

Raven nodded, "it's a possibility, I'm going to keep researching though… I just want to make sure you're alright."

Starfire stood from Raven's bed, "thank you, Raven. If you come across anything, please alert me."

"will do, Star." Raven turned to her book lost in concentration already. Starfire knew she would just interrupt if she stayed longer.

Starfire exited Raven's room and stood in the hall way, she decided to visit Robin. He could be worried about her. She and Raven had retreated into the empath's room so quickly that the boys hadn't had a chance to even react.

She knock on the door, "Robin? It is Starf-"

The door immediately shot open and a maskless Robin pulled Starfire into his room, hugging her instantly.

"Star you kick ass!" He spun her around, then turned serious, "is everything okay?"

"Yes, Raven and I believe that I was just emotionally drained." She smiled,

"you still kicked my ass," Robin chuckled.

Starfire frowned, "I did not enjoy the combat against you or our friends."

Robin pulled her in tightly, "I'm sorry. I thought since it was just for fun, you'd be okay."

"It did not feel as though it was just for the fun. It felt very real." Starfire shuddered,

"Raven told me. You were so in control. I'm so proud of you. You always make me so proud."

Starfire tilted her head and caught his lips, "I love you, Richard." He pressed her against him and deepened the kiss. Starfire eagerly opened her mouth and her tongue collided with his. She moaned when his hands grasped her rear and pressed into him harder, his arousal against her stomach.

Robin's shirt was off in an instant, he kissed down Starfire's neck then tore off her sports bra. He fell onto the bed, dragging her on top of him. He rubbed his hands up and down her bare back before resting them on her rear again. He grunted and moaned as she ground against him with her hips, she sighed at the way his hardness felt against her. Starfire ran her hands through his hair, continuing her grinding. Robin snuck his hand down the front of her shorts then broke the kiss, "you weren't wearing underwear? At all today?"  
Starfire shook her head, confused, "no, I worried it would restrict my-"

He groaned and was on her lips again in an instant, pulling her shorts down and tossing them away, he rolled his body so he was on top of his girlfriend. He maneuvered out of his pants without breaking their kiss and began using his fingers to play with her. She moaned against his mouth. Her sounds fueled him. He needed her. He'd needed her all day. Seeing the way she was moving during combat, and now knowing that she wasn't in underwear that whole time…

"Richard," she whispered into his ear, "on Okaara, it was common to fight nude."

He moaned again, she was killing him. He slipped two fingers inside her and began to move, her hips moving to meet him,

"what am I going to do with you?" his voice was husky.

He watch Starfire's cheeky retort die and turn into a moan. He wanted nothing more than to be inside her, and she seemed to feel in a similar way.

"Richard," she pleaded.

He complied instantly, entering her quickly. She wrapped her legs around his hips, completely taking him in. His hand traveled down her body as he thrusted into her, sliding down her neck, over her breasts, he toned stomach, down to where they were connected. He began to massage her spot slowly, teasing. She groaned and twirled her hips against him, his forehead fell onto hers and he shuddered in pleasure. She kissed his shoulder and up his neck.

He nuzzled her chin up and kissed her hard and passionately as he continued his thrusting, focusing on her tightening core. He tore his hand from her and gripped the sheets on both sides of her head.

His movements became harder and faster. She began to whimper his name, the world bursting in color around her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly, her tongue entering his mouth.

She bit his lip as she climaxed, he thrust deeply into her and followed after. She felt him throb and his warmth spread within her.

She sighed, kissing his temple down to his cheek, his chin, up to his lips, then his nose.

He fell to her side, his hands on her hip turning her toward him, still inside her,

"Star," he chuckled as she continued attacking his face with kisses, "why do you kiss me all over?"

She pulled away, a confused look on her face, "kissing is a sign of love is it not? When you kiss someone's lips you are saying that you adore their lips, yes? I kiss all of you because I adore all of you."

He shook his head and murmured her name.

"I am incorrect, aren't I? I apologize, I do not understand the Earthen-"

He kissed her to quiet her, he began to pepper he face, neck and shoulders with kisses and she giggled.

"People usually kiss because it's a way to express how we feel… and it feels really good." He put his forehead against hers, "especially with you. I wasn't asking you because I didn't like it, I love it, I was just wondering why you do it."

She gave him an alluring smirk, "so you like my kisses."

He kissed her lips, "I love them," his voice husky.

She rolled so she was straddling him, she began to pepper his body and face with quick kisses. He chuckled as he watched her do this. After a while of the attack, he lifted her chin and brought her lips down on his mouth, kissing her,

"God, Star. I love you so much."

She rested her head on his shoulder, giving, even that, a quick kiss, "and I love you, Richard." She grinned wickedly, "even if you did receive the 'behind whooping' from a girl."

He rolled on top of her, "that's it."

###

Starfire awoke in the small hours of the morning. Her throat dry and crying out for water. She gently untangled herself from Robin and floated from the bed,

"Hey, you're flying." Robin sat up, and pulled her back down. Starfire could hear the smile in his voice, "but where are you flying off to?" He flicked on the light.

"I will be returning, Richard. I merely require hydration." She smiled at him, "I must have fallen asleep early, I apologize."

He shook his head, "no, it was dark. Are you hungry?"

Starfire shook her head, "are you? Did you eat?"

Robin nodded, "I ate and I showered… I'm not Tamaranean," He kissed her nose, "certain 'activities' make me sweat. I also had some work to do."

"I am doing the 'guessing' that you just recently came to bed?" The look on his face said it all, she kissed his forehead, "return to sleep, I shall be back."

She threw on Robin's t-shirt then flicked off the light. She heard him settling back into the bed as she left the room.

She entered the Ops room and floated over to the kitchen. She hit the light switch and retrieved a glass. As she was filling the glass with water from the sink she noticed something on the counter. She approached it, it was a note.

The glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.

 ** _Dearest Starfire,_**

 ** _I thought I'd make you and the Titans aware of how easy it was to breach your security. I would have made my presence known, but Robin was coming to bed. I simply needed your blood. I hope you don't mind, your thigh should heal within the day, if my calculations of your healing abilities are correct. I will be seeing you in the future._**

 ** _You are quite the heavy sleeper._**

 ** _S_**

Starfire looked at her thigh, there was a small incision, about two inches long. She backed away from the counter, hitting the table behind her and stepping on the broking glass with her bare feet. Slade had been in the tower. He had been there while she slept. Tamaraneans usually slept quite deeply in order to heal their bodies properly, but she never expected it to be used against her like this. She shuddered, Slade had taken her blood. He had been in the tower with the rest of the Titans, he could have killed them. He could even still be in the tower. She ran towards the computer, barely aware that there was glass embedded in her feet. She hit the panic button.

The tower room was filled with flashing red lights.

Starfire heard a faint chuckle over the alarm.


	15. Chapter 15

_Someone take these characters away from me. I am so mean to them. I am literal trash. Oh my gosh… I lose all writing privileges. I almost did something really bad, but I didn't… so it's okay right? Someone bring me a puppy to love…._

Starfire collapsed on the couch, looking off into the distance. Slade had been in Robin's room. If he had been in there sleeping…. She shuddered. Her friends burst into the room. Raven slid on her knees over to the girl and looked up at her,

"What is it, Star? What happened?" She had felt the terror wafting off of the girl, "Starfire your feet."

Beastboy slapped his palm to his forehead, "did you drop a glass, Star? You didn't need to start the alarm. It's just a glass. It's okay we forgive you."

Still staring off at nothing, Starfire pointed towards the note on the counter with a shaking finger.

Cyborg walked over and spotted the note, he cursed, then punched the fridge, denting it. Robin appeared through the door, he had gotten dressed as quickly as possible, he hated being the last to appear for a mission. Robin looked up. He had walked into chaos, Starfire was on the couch still zoning out, Raven was picking glass out of her feet and cooing at his girlfriend, and Cyborg and Beastboy were panting with rage.

"What? What happened?" He ran to Starfire's side, "Star?"

Raven looked up at him, tears in her eyes, "Slade. He was here…" The empath had traveled into Starfire's thoughts when Starfire wouldn't respond to her.

Robin was pale white, "just now? How did he get in?"

Cyborg spoke, his voice tight with anger, " no, not just now. God fucking damnit." He threw a dirty plate across the room, "he was in YOUR room, while Star was SLEEPING. He took blood from her."

Robin clenched his fists terror and fury firing through his veins. Slade had been in his room, and cut his sleeping, NAKED, girlfriend…

Starfire finally spoke, "he knows of my healing abilities… Robin…. had you been sleeping as well… he could have… and you… friends." She shuddered and Raven held onto her as if she would evaporate.

"Star, he could have killed you too. Don't just think about us." Raven tilted Starfire's face up to look into her eyes, "you didn't sense him?"

Starfire shook his head, "I believe I was healing emotionally." She shook her head, "I may not have woken up for the 'anything'." She looked at Robin, "I am so sorry, Robin."

Robin tried to fight through his anger and failed. He stalked over and took Raven's spot between his girlfriend's knees, kneeling before her.

He kissed her knees and brought her forehead to his, "no I'm sorry. I left you there. Part of me wanted to stay, I didn't. It's my job to make sure you are always safe, and I failed. I'm sorry, Star." His face darkened, "I'm going to kill him."

Starfire gripped the back of his neck, "do not say that, Robin. We all expected the Tower to be the safest place for us. You did not know." She began stroking his hair, but her voice was still shaking, "you do keep me safe, Robin. I am the safest with you." She kissed his forehead, finally bringing him back, "Robin, you must tell us what we need to do. We need you to lead us."

He nodded and stood, "Cy, scan. Find out how the hell he got in and out. Raven, if he's close enough, check his mind. Find out what the fuck he wants. B, track his scent. Star, you do not go anywhere alone… and if you do… and you see him," his face turned into a snarl, "don't you hold back."

The Titans nodded. Raven was the first to speak, "Star, I wrapped your feet, I'll have to move quick to catch Slade's mind. I might already be too late. I'll heal you soon." She sank through the floor into one of her portals. Robin took off his cape and wrapped it around Starfire. She was still just in his t-shirt. He then lifted her feet. She was bleeding through the bandages already.

"What happened?" He kissed her toe.

Cyborg walked over to them, "Scan's started. It looks like Star dropped a glass and stepped on it. You okay, sis?"

Starfire nodded, "Raven will aid me further when she completes her sensing. Are you alright, Cyborg? I am sorry." She sat up to grab his arm and pull him to sit on the couch.

He allowed her to, but his face was still dark, "you have nothing to apologize for, Star. Slade does. And he will with blood."

Beastboy appeared in front of them, sneezing, "I got nothing. The asshole actually put pepper on the ground." He sneezed again, "what a comedian."

Starfire smiled at him, and handed him the box of tissues next to her. Raven had been using the tissues to wipe her feet clean of the blood. The used one's lay bloodied on the floor.

Beastboy felt the anger rising within him from all the blood, "thanks, Star. You okay?"

Starfire nodded, "my feet are not doing the hurting. It is just inconvenient."

Beastboy sneezed again plopping down beside Cyborg, "no, I meant with this. How are you doing?"

Starfire furrowed her brow, "I am the concerned. Slade has invaded our home. I am very thankful that none of you were targeted as well."

Robin shook his head, "don't be concerned about us, Star."

Starfire stroked his hair, "I will always feel the concern for all of you."

Cyborg's arm emitted a string of beeps, his face contorted with anger, "he came in through the window in her room."

Robin shot around to look at him, "her room?! Why didn't we hear him break her fucking window?"

Cyborg shook his head darkly, "because he didn't. The readings say he, like, phased through it. It looks like he has some new gear. I'm guessing that if she'd been in her room, this would have been much worse."

Robin shuddered at the thoughts that entered his mind, what Slade could've done.

Starfire spoke, "so, because I was in Robin's room, Slade had to complete his mission with more haste?"

Cyborg nodded, his face softening at the girl, "yeah, Star. We're some lucky Titans."

Robin stood picking Starfire up bridal style, "I wanna go check on Raven."

Starfire waved at Cyborg and Beastboy. She turned and offered Robin a small smile as he carried her to the door, "I am doing the 'assuming' that I am accompanying you?"

The door slid shut behind them and Robin returned the smile, kissing her temple, "I am not letting you out of my sight again."

Starfire snuggled into his neck, "I am quite safe with Cyborg and Beastboy, Robin."

"I know, they would tear Slade limb from limb at this point, but I could've lost you. Slade could've taken you… I just…"

Starfire wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, "Richard, if you were sleeping beside me, I may have lost you…" She nuzzled him, " I am not very fond of the idea of leaving your presence either."

He kissed her temple again, "Raven?" He called for her from outside her door.

Black magic encased the door and it opened immediately. The couple entered, and Raven looked darkly at them…

"Robin, I had him long enough to get some of whatever it is he wants." She looked at him with fear, "you're not going to like this."

Robin set Starfire on Raven's bed, then sat between Starfire's legs facing Raven, putting Starfire's knees on his shoulders, "I figured I wouldn't like it. Can you heal her, please?" His voice sounded dark, defeated.

Raven nodded and began on Starfire's feet, "as far as I could tell, the only reason he came to the Tower was to get Star's blood. He took a lot. That's probably why you were so thirsty, Star." Starfire offered a small nod. Raven continued, "he thinks he can control Starfire somehow if he has her blood. Do you know anything about that, Star?"

Starfire shook her head, "the Psions had much of my blood, and they could not control me. If he desires to control me, I believe he would need much more than my blood."

Robin had tightened his grip on her legs at the mention of the Psions, but he was quiet.

Raven nodded, "I started losing him after that. Star, whatever he has on your sister… it's a person…"

"A person?" Starfire squeaked, "I am unsure of who it could be… I do not know of anyone that Kom cares so deeply for that she would obey a madman…"

Raven moved to Starfire's other foot, "that's all I got from him. He seemed to sense me and blocked me out… I don't know how."

Starfire nodded at her, "thank you, Raven."

Robin finally spoke, "do you think we should go on lockdown, Raven."

"Yes." Raven spoke without hesitation.

Robin flicked open his communicator, "Cyborg, lockdown."

Starfire heard a confirmation, then heard the sounds of armor forming around the tower.

Raven shook her head, "the civilians are going to be freaking out."

"I don't care." He made eye contact with Raven, and by the intense stare between the two, Starfire could tell he was telling her something in his mind. She wrapped around him, her cheek resting on his head, her hands wrapped around his chest, and her now healed feet wrapping around him as well. She waited for Robin to finish sending his thoughts to Raven. He kissed her wrist, signaling that he was finished.

"Robin?" She spoke softly.

"Hmm?"

"Might we all go to the kitchen? I still require the water."

He offered a small smile, and picked her back up.

Her feet were healed, she was unsure of why he was still carrying her.

She sighed, and nuzzled back into his neck.


	16. Chapter 16

_I'm updating so much. I'm sorry. I need to slow down. If you spot any really annoying grammatical errors, let me know and I will fix them. I check while going through, but I tend to miss a lot! Just let me know!_

Starfire shifted, Robin and Raven stared at her with intrigue, "I am unsure of where to begin. Raven, I was hoping you could help me discipline Robin's energies first.

It would be much easier to teach the movements to you both at the same time."

Raven nodded, "my energies could probably use a little discipline too."

Starfire nodded at her, "perhaps. How keenly can you sense the movements of energy beneath one's skin?"

Raven looked aghast, "you can sense energy move?"

Starfire looked at her curiously and nodded, "yes, I do require to have a visual on the target. I cannot sense them from any distance. It is very difficult to explain. When you are viewing the one you wish to perform the _rõhupuntiden_ on their body's movements become very…obvious. For instance, when I was sparring with you, Raven, I could see your breathing, your muscles moving, your bones shifting, and… how can I say this? And the pulse, perhaps? The pulse of your energy. You see where the energy circulates from." She began to gesture to herself, "the hips, where the energy circulates into the legs. Shoulders, into the arms. Chest, throughout the abdomen. And Raven's energy, from her chakra… the base of the throat… it is the center circulation point… if influenced correctly… it could an instantaneous kill point."

Robin's eyes widened, "that's incredible. So do you think you could take away powers other than Raven's?"

Starfire bit her lip, "yes. When I hit Beastboy's _illuliument,_ the point on his hips, I focused on the deeper energies in order to halt his shifting to his legs as well. I feared that if her could shift the form of his legs he could force the energy flow could restart, which could damage him."

"So basically any power, you could stop?" Robin was amazed, why hadn't she used this before?

Starfire played with her fingers, "not the exactly… The powers have to originate from inside the being… For instance, I could not halt the Dr. Light's powers, for they originate from his tools and flow through him.. not himself… Blocking powers… it can create a bad energy inside the victim if done out of malice or done too forcefully. It could poison the energies of the victim… I do not like taking the powers of others… With Raven and Beastboy, I could see how to accomplish taking their abilities without any harm to them. But for others… I cannot guarantee such a healthy after effect."

Robin nodded. She had answered his internal question without knowing it.

Raven considered her, "so if you couldn't guarantee the shot with me…"

Starfire shook her head, "I would not have taken it."

Raven guffawed, "you were in more control than I thought yo were. I'm sorry I doubted you."

Starfire smiled at her, " _rõhupuntiden_ is terrifying to experience."

Raven nodded. Robin tilted his head at Starfire, "can you do it on me?"

Starfire bit her lip, "why do you require-"

"I wanna see what it feels like." He stood and approached her.

"Robin.. I would prefer…"

"Please?" he begged her, he wanted to feel what he was learning to inflict upon others.

She bit her lip, and placed two fingers at the base of his throat, took them back, then exhaled, "I will hit your _dyshilov._ The way I will hit this will freeze all of your limbs at once. It will stop the circulation of your energies instead of destroying their paths, which is done when the desire is to kill."

He swallowed, "yeah I would like to avoid that please." He trusted her, but his stomach was flipping.

He almost missed her move, her two fingers hit him. A heaviness swept throughout his entire body. He could think, but he felt numb. There was no pain, but the heaviness was uncomfortable. Robin felt so vulnerable. Then Starfire hit him again, and it was gone.

A slow smile spread across his lips, "that is the strangest feeling…"

Raven rolled her eyes, "tell me about it."

Robin kept his eyes on Starfire, "I really, REALLY, want to learn, Star."

She smiled at him, "then I shall teach you." She bit her lip, "however, I must find a way to properly demonstrate the energies… Oh!" A larger smile came across her face, and she sat with her legs crossed.

Robin quickly sat beside her.

"I will demonstrate how you must lead your energy." She closed her eyes and rubbed her lips together. Raven and Robin watched in amazement and horror as her star bolts glowed under her skin. They could clearly see the paths in which her powers traveled, up her arms, her throat, throughout her chest, her eyes, even her legs.

Robin stuttered, "Star, doesn't that hurt?"  
Starfire shrugged, "it is bearable."

Robin shook his head, "stop!"  
Starfire cocked her head at him, "it is the easiest way to explain, I am the alright, Robin." She gestured to her arms and trailed her fingers up the glowing path beneath her skin to her shoulders, "I need to direct my solar energy where I desire them to go and which form I desire them to take; the bolts, the beam of eyes, heat, or… I suppose the best way to describe it is a flame. I use my mind to do this. The process must be done quickly… To accomplish _rõhupuntiden_ you must do the same. You direct your inner energy from your throat…" She exhaled and only left one path illuminated, "to your dominate hand. Tamaraneans are ambidextrous, so I may use either. I believe you are too Robin?"

He grunted, "I had to train to be."

Starfire giggled and continued, "you cannot be too forceful with your energy, or you will _rõhupuntiden_ yourself. You may do this the first few times, and it is the alright, I will do the fixing of it."

Raven closed her eyes and Starfire concentrated on her, her pupils dilating as she focused on her movements. Robin could tell that she was in a less intense form of her 'warrior mode.' Beastboy named it, and the team thought it was fitting.

"That is correct, Raven." Starfire hit the empath's shoulder with her two fingers, "you just did not allow the energy to redistribute itself before you halted your activities."

Raven smiled at the alien endearingly, "that might have been a good thing to mention."

Starfire blushed, "I am sorry friend, I am not a good teacher."

The empath's smile grew and waved her hand at her, "you're fine, Starfire. I appreciate you teaching us."

Robin decided to try next. He pictured the path of his own arm, and the energy flowing through it. His arm tightened and he smiled.

Starfire squealed in delight, "yes! Robin! You have the movements of it!"

Robin allowed the path to go elsewhere like Starfire had said, "the movements?"

Starfire offered him a small smile, "yes, once we strengthen your energy you will have it."

Robin arched an eyebrow under his mask, "how do we do that?"

A wicked gleam took over Raven's face, "meditation."

Robin groaned.

####

Robin collapsed on the bed next to Starfire. She began to stroke his hair.

"You did well, Richard." she cooed.

Teaching Robin and Raven the _rõhupuntiden_ had been a welcome distraction from Slade. And she was sure learning it was distracting Robin and Raven as well. Cyborg distracted himself by searching for any bugs or cameras Slade might have left in the Tower, and Beastboy… he was still napping.

Robin sighed, "mediation is just so boring."

Starfire kissed his nose, "that is only because you cannot focus on silence. You desire to focus on every noise within the room."

Robin snorted at her, "oh ha ha. 's not my fault." He fake pouted, "Raven kept yelling at me."

Starfire laughed, "oh, my poor, dearest Richard. Insulted and abused, will his pride every recover?"

Robin tickled her ribs, "and now she's adopting sarcasm too."

Starfire widened her eyes playfully, "who? Me?"

He laughed and kissed her, "god, Star. I love you."

She peppered his face with kisses, "and I, you, Richard."

Robin sighed, "thanks for earlier this morning, Star."

She cocked her head at him, "what are you referring to, Richard?"

He pulled her into him, "bringing me back. I was just so angry. Telling me that I needed to lead and everything."

"Oh, Richard, it is nothing you need to thank me for." She kissed his cheek, "your mere presence in the room brought me back. I was very scared. Raven kept talking to me, but it felt as though I could not hear her. When you were there, I felt safe enough to come back."

He kissed her head, "you had a right to be scared, Star. I still…. I can't believe… he was IN this ROOM….while you were SLEEPING. It terrifies me."  
Starfire put her head on his chest and looked at him, "you need not be afraid, Richard. We are on the lockdown. He will not be trespassing here again. We will all protect each other Richard. We are a family, that is what we do."

He kissed her forehead.

She stretched and arched her back, "I require the shower. Then perhaps we should call upon of friends for a night of the movies?"

"That sounds like a great idea, Star. I'll go get everything set up."

"But Robin…" She grinned mischievously, "I believed that you would be accompanying me everywhere."

###

Starfire and Robin entered the Ops room to find the other Titans desperately working to find Slade. Raven was trying to sense him, while Cyborg and Beastboy were going through their scans and the cameras throughout the city, looking for any sign of Slade. They did not even seem to notice the pair entering the room. Robin shrugged and Starfire spoke,

"My glorious friends!" Starfire's joy seemed to send a calming ripple throughout the room. The Titans looked up at her,

"Hey, Star." Beastboy ran over to her, he shifted into a kitten and leapt into her arms.

Raven stood and approached her, "I've been working on the _rõhupuntiden._ Wanna go practice more?"

Starfire shook her head, "I was hoping that we could enjoy a night of the movies tonight?"

Cyborg got up from his seat near the computer, "I don't know, Star. We're not even close to finding…" the others nodded

Starfire sighed, "friends. I do not believe Slade will be going to the anywhere… and we are on lockdown… I believe you could all use the break." She looked up at her friends with a quivering lip and shining eyes.

Robin knew they were doomed.

"Alright, Star." Cyborg offered her a smile, "what do you wanna watch, sis?"

Starfire beamed and floated to face him properly, "I believed that it was Raven's turn to do the picking."

Raven phased out of the room to pick.

"I shall retrieve the corn of popping!" Starfire squealed in excitement.

Robin chuckled and followed her into the kitchen. She dumped popcorn into the pan on the stove and waited. Robin stroked her hair,

"you pulled one on them, didn't you." Robin smiled but his voice was sad.

Starfire looked at him, surprised.

"You can't fool me, Star. Not anymore." He moved his hand to her cheek.

"Robin, I just desire them to.."

"I know, Star." He hugged her tightly.

This was just who she was. She had been targeted by a maniac, but all she cared about was making sure everyone else wasn't worried about her. He kissed her head, and watched as Raven reappeared in the room,

"C'mon, popcorn's done." He released her and dumped the popcorn into a large bowl, he heard Starfire yawn behind him.

"Robin, I fear I may fall asleep in you again." She stretched.

Robin chuckled, "at least we have a tradition. C'mon."

He took her waist and lead her over to the couch.

"What movie did you pick, Rae?" Beastly settled in between Cyborg and raven.

Raven smiled at Starfire, who was cuddling into Robin on the couch, "Star and I watch this one all the time, don't we Star?"

Starfire nodded her eyes closed, "it is the benefits of being a blossom of a vertical boundary, correct?"

Raven laughed, and Beastboy jumped and grinned at the sound, "Star, you have to teach me how to do that."

The only response she had was a continuous vibratory sound.

Cyborg grinned at the sleeping girl, "what is THAT?"

Robin rubbed his girlfriend's back and the vibrations intensified, "she purrs when she sleeps."

Raven tilted her head, "No she doesn't."

Robin arched an eyebrow under his mask, "What?"

"She's never really had a sleep over before, so whenever she and I have a movie night together we stay the night in either her or my room. She never 'purrs'." A small smirk spread across her face, "I guess it's a just for Robin thing."

Robin blushed and continued to rub Starfire's back, "oh."


	17. Chapter 17

_For some reason, I have zero motivation for anything right now. I wrote a rough outline of how I would like this story to go. So that's cool. I don't know if telling you the estimated amount of chapters remaining would spoil anything so I'll keep it hush hush!_

 _Possible self-harm trigger warning… I just want to be safe._

Starfire opened her eyes. The room was completely dark. The armor around the tower blocked out all light. Starfire felt nauseous she closed her eyes tightly. She needed sunlight. Robin's arms tightened around her. He was beginning to stir. She felt his breath on her face. She laid a hand on his face and kissed what she hoped was his nose.

"Richard? Dearest, are you awake?" She was cooing at him now. She would prefer to let him sleep, but he would not allow her to go to the roof alone. He would demand to come with her.

He mumbled something.

"Richard?" She kissed him again, "I am sorry, _dy iliuni,_ but I require the solar energy. I must journey to the roof."

She slid out of his arms and stood from the bed, perhaps now that he knew where she would be her would let her go alone. She slipped o her uniform.

His arms encircled her waist, and he kissed her lower back.

"You're cold!" He leapt from the bed and wrapped her in a blanket, "when was the last time you had sun?"

"Properly? It has been a few days… I consumed some during the sparring but.."

He continued to fuss over her, before picking her up bridal style, "c'mon"

"Richard, I am quite capable of flying." She pursed her lips. They were about to leave the room, "you require your mask, _dy iliuni."_

She plucked it off of the dresser and placed it on his face, centering it.

"Thanks." He wore strange expression on his face.

He carried her to the stairs and she removed his glove for finger print scanner. Because the tower was on lockdown, there were a few more precautions. When they reached the roof, Robin heard Starfire sigh in contentment when the sun hit her skin. He set her on the edge of the roof and sat beside her,

"Better." He smiled at her face. Her eyes were closed and a dreamy smile was on her lips.

She nodded, "yes, much, I thank you Ri-Robin."

"Star, no one can hear us, it's okay." He smiled. He was usually so protective of his identity, but lately, she seemed to be helping him do that in any way she could. She was very careful of where she called him by his name, she had never told Raven he was sure of that. She had even reminded him of his mask a few times.

"I believe it is desired to be more the safe than the sorry, yes?" She opened her shining eyes and beamed at him.

He had to catch his breath for a moment, but when he did, he remembered, "Star, I've been meaning to ask you, this morning just reminded me. What does it feel like, when you haven't had sun?"

Starfire began to fiddle with her necklace, Twirling the green gem in her fingers, "I believe it is best described as similar to your… oh… It would be a combination of illnesses.. The condition is also dependent on the length without solar recharge…After a few days without sun, I felt nausea, confusion, and some aches throughout my body. After an Earthen week, I would most likely experience mild paralysis, a weakened immunity to illnesses, loss of appetite, and… this may be difficult to explain… without sunlight… Tamaraneans may begin to… sense their body fading around them… it usually triggers a mental response. A Tamaranean will begin to try to leave their body, they may scratch at their skin in an attempt to crawl out or some have taken their own lives. I have seen it before. After more than a week without sunlight… depending on the Tamaranean, the result is death. I am unsure how the experimentation has effected this.."

Robin looked at her, shocked, "it can drive Tamaraneans to KILL themselves?"

Starfire nodded sadly, "yes. It is because that particular Tamaranean has entered the stage where every breath brings an agonizing pain. Their body does not obey them. They lose their hearing and their sight… It is a… terrible place to be…"

Robin ran his hand through his hair, "you've SEEN that?"

Starfire brought her knees to her chest and rested her chin upon them, "the Citadel would often starve their Tamaranean slaves of sunlight when they were no longer of use… we would try to assist them, but we were often punished for interfering."

Robin rubbed her back. Watching her own people suffer that way was terrible. There was no denying she had watched, but a small smile came upon her lips,

"when I was recaptured by the Citadel after gaining my star bolts, I found that my powers were often calming to the victims of this paretics. The heat I am able to generate from my skin would help them maintain their body temperature… I like to believe it made the process somewhat simpler. Tamaraneans have very negative reactions to being cold."

Robin rubbed her hair, "is there a moment in your life where you didn't help some being, Star?"

Starfire looked at him with a sadness in her eyes, "I am a warrior of Tamaran. It is my duty to assist my people." She looked back out at the water, "I am grateful that I may now expand on who 'my people' are."

She leaned into Robin's shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you, Richard." She whispered it in a voice so low, Robin strained to hear it.

"I love you, Starfire."

"Richard?"

"Yeah?"

"I believe this would be a perfect place to discipline your energy. Shall we meditate?"

Robin groaned.

###

The couple was still perched upon the roof. Starfire had her legs across his lap, and was running her fingers through his hair. Robin had a hand on her leg and one around her waist, his head leaning upon hers.

"Richard, do you believe you will ever reveal yourself as Richard to our friends?" Starfire spoke her words gently and carefully, as not to offend him.

"I don't know, Star. I wanted you to know. And I am so thankful that you do know… I'm not sure… I mean… you know everything about me now. Who I am, who I was… I don't know if I CAN share that with anyone else."

Starfire nodded, considering him, "our friends love you. You are aware of that, correct?"

Robin snorted, "love might be a stretch for me, Stare. I know they love you but-"

"They do, Richard. They have told me. On those days you would lock yourself in your room and overwork yourself, they would worry. Cyborg would often put together a plate of dinner for you and place it in the fridge. He was always very upset when he would awaken in the middle of the night and it would still be in the fridge."

Robin shook his head, but Starfire continued, "Beastboy also admires you so. He will often make me aware that he desires to be the 'just like you'. He idolizes you, Richard. And Raven, she has told me on multiple occasions that she will aim to never let you down. You put everything into the Titans, Richard. We will all do the same for you. " A small grin appeared on her face, "and that is without knowing that you are 'Richard Greyson the billionaire of Gotham'."

Robin kissed her head, "I…. I didn't know."

"I am not attempting to force you to tell them, _dy iliuni,_ I just desired you to know how deeply they care for you."

He nodded and pulled her to him tighter, " _Dy iliuni_? What does that-"

He was interrupted by Starfire snapping her head to look over the horizon. She was sitting completely erect. The hair on her arms began to rise. It took Robin a moment to realize that she was sniffing the air.

"Star?"

She blinked a few times then shuddered, "Blackfire. She is angry."


	18. Chapter 18

_Alright, so I am still lacking lots and lots of motivation. I'm sorry. I'm trying. Ever since I wrote the outline I've been just like, "nope."_

 _I'll try harder guys._

Robin looked at his girlfriend. Her arms and eyes were growing green, she was crouched on the ground, her head moving wildly to locate her sister, he guessed. He jumped when she hissed, drawing his bo staff, looking over the horizon. A purple flame was radiating towards them. As she approached he could smell burning hair and flesh.

Something was so wrong. He hit the panic button on his communicator. Robin looked back to Starfire. She rose off the ground and began to hiss in Tamaranean,

 _"_ _Komand'r. If you wish to approach, I command you to calm your energy. NOW."_

Robin tilted his head, he understood Komand'r, but that was it. He could finally see her. Her hair danced on its own accord with purple fire, her skin was radiating heat, Robin could feel it from yards away he backed away slightly when the heat became too much. Starfire leapt in front of him and hissed again,

 _"_ _Kom. If you approach him like this I will be forced to engage you in combat. Please calm your energy."_

Blackfire held her hands over her head and began to make a starbolt, the other titans arrived on the roof.

 _"_ _Kori, I'm trying. He's telling me to kill them… I can't."_ Starfire's eyes widened and she shot at Blackfire.

Raven rose off of the ground and Beastboy shifted into a falcon. Robin and Cyborg readied their weapons. Blackfire fired the starbolt she had been building at the titans. Starfire put herself in between the star bolt and her family, she coated her hands in green flame and held them out in front of her. She took the brunt of the attack and slid across the roof.

Robin ran to her side. Her arms were burned and her back was scratched, "Star?"

She rose, her eyes still on her sister, "she is after you and our friends. She is not in control."

She flew into the air, inches from her sister. Robin's eyes widened, Blackfire was going to kill them, nothing would stop her from killing Starfire.

"Star, come back here. Please. " He practically begged her. He didn't care.

Starfire looked at him with pleading eyes, "I must try to help her, Robin." She turned back to her sister, _"Sister, how can I aid you?'_

 _"_ _You can't."_ Blackfire rose her hands, purple flames dancing in her palms,

Starfire held up her hands,and allowed them to glow, _"Sister, transfer your energies to me."_

Blackfire's eyes stopped glowing. Her hands neared Starfire's. Raven broke rank and began to fly towards the sisters. Beastboy grabbed her cape, Raven growled at him as he pulled her down and wrapped himself around her. Raven kept her eyes on the two girls, "Starfire. Don't!"

Robin looked wildly between the empath and his girlfriend, "what's she doing?"

"Blackfire, she's lost control. She's too angry, Star's offering to take the anger."

Beastboy looked to the struggling girl in his arms, "so?" He was panicked. Blackfire stared dumbly at Starfire who was still offering her hands.

Raven shot two fingers into his shoulder, "it could KILL her." The Titans reacted.

Blackfire finally seemed to come to her senses, _"NO! He said you w-"_ She took off in a purple streak.

"Sister!" Starfire readied herself to take off after Blackfire. She was suddenly wrapped in a grappling hook and rope. She was pulled to the roof and into Robin's arms, he tore the rope from around her. His face was contorted with anger, "'I told you to never do that ag-"

"Please Robin, we must go after her. Something is very wrong. Raven she was not enraged, she was holding an overabundance of solar energy. I believe-" She cut herself off by hitting Beastboy's shoulder with two fingers to restore movements, then rising from the ground.

Robin shook his head, his anger turning on Slade, "he's experimenting on her."

Starfire nodded and offered her hands, "I am able to track her if we begin immediately."

Raven rose from the ground and Beastboy morphed into a pterodactyl, grabbing Cyborg by his shoulders. Robin took Starfire's hands and they shot off the roof.

Robin looked up at his girlfriend, her eyes were dilating wildly. Robin had to shout over the wind, "how are you tracking her?"

"I am tracing her energy, it is very…familiar to me. Siblings are more in tuned with each other's energies if properly trained. I can recognize hers with ease." She was distracted, but she was making quick and sharp turns that made Robin hold his breath.

Suddenly her eyes began to glow, she whipped her head to the side, wrapped herself around Robin and hit the ground. Starfire rose immediately. Fear was evident on her face, her chest was heaving. She began to turn around aimlessly, "I do not understand."

Robin took in their surroundings. Of course they were near Slade's factory. It sent shivers down his spine, the other titans caught up with similar looks on their faces.

"Starfire what's wrong?" Cyborg approached her, she entered the factory with tears on her face.

"Star?" Robin cut her off and cupped her face.

"Ryand'r…" She had chills on her arms. She looked up at Robin, "I sense Ryand'r."

Robin hugged her into his side as the team wandered deeper into the factory.  
"How very touching. Tell me Koriand'r, I know your sister's limits, but what would you do for your family?"

Slade walked into the light. Robin unsheathed his bo staff and positioned himself protectively in front of Starfire. He could feel his team doing the same behind him,

"Robin, I thought you were taught not to get involved with teammates, tsk tsk." Slade waggled his finger and Robin growled,

"What do you want, Slade?" His hands tightened around his weapon. Raven stepped up next to him,

"we were hoping you were dead." Raven's voice was harsher than Robin had heard in a long time.

Cyborg's sonic cannon rang menacingly. Beastboy was keeping an eye on the team's surroundings, prepared for a surprise ambush.

"Please, Slade." Starfire's voice was so calm it made the others jump, "where are my brother and sister?"

"Your brother is resting, Starfire. Backfire failed her mission. She's to be-"

"I did not inquire about what they were or were not doing. I inquired about where they were. I am collecting them and we are leaving." She walked in front of her friends, who were still in shock.

Slade chuckled, "there is a princess in you, isn't there? You aren't a ruler here, Starfire."

Starfire tilted her head, "I do not understand what you desire from me, Slade."

The villain approached her quickly, Robin barely had time to react. He leapt between Slade and Starfire, a kick connecting with the man's chest. Slade was sent backwards. He stood, rubbing the spot where Robin kicked, "if you give the girl up willingly, you will save your team a lot of pain, Robin."

Robin growled, "not fucking happening."

Slade chuckled, "letting your emotions get in the way of your judgement? Tsk, tsk. You have grown soft."

Beastboy finally spoke, "none of us will let you touch her, you ass hole."

"Such a lack of manners." He chastised, and then he spoke something in another language to Starfire. She took a step back, and looked at her friends, "He insulted you in Tamaranean."

Slade shook his head, "nothing is a secret I suppose. If you titans are so adamant about your friend. You leave me no choice." Slade bots dropped from the ceiling, Starfire heard Blackfire screaming.

She covered her ears and fell to her knees, "Stop, please, there is no need to harm her!"

Slade approached her, but this time Robin was unable to reach her. The titans were trying to fight off the hoard of robots,

"I'm sorry princess. Does this bring back memories? Tell me, how did you manage to escape the Psions?"

Starfire continued to cover her ears, "please let her go." She looked up at the man with tears in her eyes.

"You can free her, princess. Her and your brother. Your friends can leave."

She looked up at him, "how?"

Slade reached for her and tore of her gorget, ripping a section of her shirt. As it clattered to the ground, Raven impaled the remaining robots with her black energy in a rage. Starfire rose, star bolts in her hand.

The titans ran to her side, fury evident on each of their faces.

Slade shook his head, "temper, Raven. Blackfire. I believe the titans wish to have a word with you."

Starfire felt her sister enter the room, she heard the crackling of the heat around her. She stared at Slade, "why do you do this?"

"You and your sister are quite powerful, especially when overflowed with energy." He touched her face and Robin growled, "I can only imagine what you will be like, my dear."

Without thinking, Starfire slammed her two fingers into Slade's shoulder. His eyes widened when he couldn't move his arm. Robin smirked as Starfire spoke,

"Slade, you will not touch me. You will release Ryand'r and Komand'r, and you will then be escorted to jail."

"Give me my arm back, you Troq." He hissed his words. Robin tightened his fists.

"I will allow you control of your arm if you will release my siblings." Starfire allowed her eyes to glow.

Slade nodded and Starfire struck his shoulder again.

"'You wanted your sister released?" He sneered, "well here she is. Blackfire, kill the titans. You may spare your sister."

Blackfire hissed. She fired an explosive volley of Star bolts at Raven and Cyborg. Beastboy ran to assist them.

Slade picked up Starfire's gorget. She stared at him, her skin was radiating heat, "what have you done to her?"

"I tweaked the Psions' experiments." His voice was dangerously calm.

"How were our pasts exposed to you?" Starfire felt the burn of her star bolts up her arms,

"Wildfire was very, very talkative once I said I knew you. I do believe he was hoping I would take him to you. Dim boy." Slade's words were dripping with venom.

Starfire hissed at him, "you are underestimating him. You have done the same to Blackfire."

He began fiddling with her gorget, "I won't underestimate you, my-" He stopped and dropped the gorget as though it burned him.

He moved so quickly neither Robin or Starfire could deflect his ambush. He threw Robin towards the other titans and grabbed Starfire by her neck. He hissed at her in Tamaranean,

 _"_ _Where is it?"_ He shook her, "You useless troq. _Where is it?"_

Starfire blinked, she used a star bolt to burn his wrist, and he dropped her. She flipped away from him, kicking him in the middle of his back. He flew into the wall opposite of her. Starfire cocked her head, "I do not understand… Of what do you speak?"

Slade did not rise. Blackfire spoke, "your _d'aulle nitney,_ sister. _He must have stopped Galfore's message explaining it_."

Starfire stared at her sister who had stopped her combat. The titans stopped fighting as soon as Blackfire spoke to Starfire and opted to pull rank around the pair, _" My 'loyal energy'? I do not understand, sister. Was he referring to the metal disc behind my gem?"_ Starfire was not sure why, but fear over took her. She gripped her sister's shoulders and her sister clung to her elbows.

Blackfire's eyes lost their glow and looked between Starfire's, _"The gem is soladium, it is the solid form of the substance that runs through our energies."_ She paused, fear overtaking her, _"Why sister? You gave it? Why?"_

Starfire shook her head quickly, _"Mother gifted hers to me, I believed it to be a sign of love!"_

Blackfire's eyes widened at that piece of information, _"But father…. Never mind. Sister, who has it?"_

Starfire shook her head furiously, _"I do not understand why this information is relevant!"_

Blackfire gripped her sister's shoulders hards, tears in her eyes, Robin looked between the two with concern. Raven growled as Slade began to rise,

"you disobeyed me again, Blackfire." Slade pressed a button and Ryand'r began to scream in agonizing pain.

Starfire rose into the air, preparing to fire herself towards her brother. Two needles shot into her back and she heard Robin scream her name and the titans begin to run over to her. It finally occurred to her that she had been shot with a taser. She braced herself for the pain, but all she felt was a small ache. She looked up questioningly at Slade. The other titans froze, Blackfire cussed.

Slade activated the taser again, Starfire did not even twitch.

Slade chuckled, "you are more of a prize than I thought. I told you your sister was stronger than you, Blackfire. Now tell me, who owns you?"

His words sunk in. She now understood what the _d'aulle nitney,_ entailed. Starfire backed herself into the wall, "Sister?" Her voice was weak. Blackfire fired a star bolt at Slade, he landed deeply in the wall, she then turned to the titans. She spoke quickly, "You three, please free Ryand'r. He is in the south side of the factory. I cannot enter without getting shocked. Robin. You and I take down Slade. Kori's powers won't be working now. If Slade can't get her, and he doesn't have Ry, then he has nothing on me anymore."

The titan's hesitated for a second, but Robin nodded at them. He ran over to Starfire, he tried to hug her, but she pulled away, "I did not know… I am sorry… _X'hal_ why?"

Blackfire looked at the wall where Slade had it, the rubble was moving, "Sister, remember Okaara."

Starfire looked up toward her sister and allowed her face to go emotionless, " _rõhupuntiden?"_

The sound of running footsteps echoed in their ears.

Blackfire shook her head and reached into her boot and pulled out a dagger. She threw it into the approaching Slade's neck. Robin gasped and shook his head quickly.

Starfire put a comforting hand on his arm, "that was not Slade. I sensed no life energy inside him…"

Blackfire and Starfire dropped into a crouch, Robin followed.

An army of 'Slades' dropped from the second level of the factory.


	19. Chapter 19

_Alright… Chapter 19…. Thank all my readers so much. I'm trying to be as consistent as possible with my chapters, but shit's bout to get cray in my life. Sooooo, kill me._

Starfire exhaled. The 'Slade' replicas just kept attacking. There seemed to be an infinite stream of them. She kicked another's legs out from under it, and Robin used hi bo staff to smash in the face.

He was sweating, "I am not sure how much longer I can keep this up."

Starfire looked at Blackfire and she nodded, "I have you guys covered."

Starfire asked for Robin's hand, he complied and she pulled him to her, "Star, we're in battle." He mumbled it at her, frustrated and embarrassed.

Starfire shook her head, "hush, _dy iliuni_." She found the base of his throat and placed two fingers on each side, "this may sting, but you will feel much better after, I do the promising."

"What?"

Starfire closed her eyes and exhaled, an extreme heat radiated from her throat, she focused on cooling it as it left her fingers, Robin jumped in surprise. Starfire fell to her knees and Robin caught her, "Starfire!"

She smiled at him and stood again, "I apologize, I may have given too much."

Robin stared at her confused, then his eyes widened, "what was that?"

" _Nitney regirnel._ An energy transfer. The energy I would be using to create star bolts, I have given to you."

Robin exhaled in relief, "is there anything you can't do."

Starfire squeaked as she avoided an attack, "at this very moment? Fly."

Robin chuckled, and swung back into battle.

Starfire missed the energy she had given to Robin. Her movements felt slower, and her thinking was clouded. She was actually feeling lethargic. The next attack hit her, and she felt the cut in her cheek. At the contact she also felt something else…

Starfire's eyes widened. She blocked an attack and shouted, "this is not-" Slade put a hand around her throat and squeezed cutting off her words. Starfire wrapped a leg around his arm and struggled to choke out words, "please do not make me." But Slade squeezed harder and Starfire felt her lungs burning. She wrapped her other leg around his arm and flipped herself over his shoulder, hearing the familiar 'pop' of a shoulder falling from its socket. Slade hissed in agony and released the alien, allowing her to fall to the ground and begin taking breaths again. Slade's hiss caught the attention of Blackfire and Robin. They saw Starfire gasping for breath, her bleeding cheek, and her hand clutching at her throat. Blackfire reacted in anger. She used a beam of solar energy to burn the heads off of the replicas around her, her fists smoking.

She approached Slade, "you mean to kill my sister? Because you can't have her, you want her dead?" She hissed her words, practically spitting flames.

Robin ran to Starfire's side, he rubbed her back as she took desperate breaths. Blackfire looked over at the two and continued, "how DARE you lay a hand on her. No one will lay a hand on her." She prepared another star bolt and aimed at Slade's neck.

Slade's eyes widened, "do not make me render you useless again." He brought out his taser.

Starfire was suddenly positioned between the two. Her back to Slade. Robin panicked and placed himself between his girlfriend and the villain.

"Sister, you must calm yourself." Starfire put her hands on her sister's face.

Blackfire placed her hands on her sister's. She gestured to Robin with her chin, "you gave it to him, didn't you?"

Robin tightened, uncertain of who they were speaking about.

Starfire nodded, "yes."

Robin roared and charged Slade. Slade fired the taser. Starfire was in front of Robin in a second. The needles embedded in her arm. She used this to her advantage and tore the device away from Slade. It clattered on the floor. Starfire hit Slade at the base of his throat. He fell to the ground motionless.

Robin exhaled, it was done. He knew Starfire didn't kill Slade, just immobilized him. Slade was down, he wouldn't even twitch his fingers until Starfire decided it was okay. Robin looked at his girlfriend. Her cheek was still bleeding, her arms were still burned from her fight with Blackfire earlier, there was a bruising handprint on her neck. He looked at her eyes, they were shimmering with tears, but a smile of disbelief was on her lips. He followed her line of sight. The other titans and a tall, but youthful, boy was staring back at Starfire.

Starfire shook her head and the boy ran to he, his arms encircled her. Cooing at her in Tamaranean, Starfire doing the same.

Blackfire stood next to Robin, waiting for the two to separate. Robin turned to her with a dark expression on his face, "what did Starfire give to Slade?"

Blackfire looked taken aback, "nothing. She gave it to you."

Robin looked at her confused, "Slade wanted her energy? I thought that was just some spare stuff she had…"

Blackfire cocked her head and looked at him in disbelief.

"Kom?" Blackfire turned, Ryand'r grabbed her forearms, "you are both okay? I thought… I thought when they had left me for dead, they would do the same to you. I have been looking all over the universe for you two. I followed that Psion ship for years."

Blackfire embraced him, and pulled Starfire in with them, "I am never letting you two go again."

###

Robin sighed. They had contacted the police and Slade had been taken into custody. Part of Robin wanted to interrogate the maniac himself, but he had a lot of questions for Starfire. And Blackfire. And Ryand'r, for that matter. The siblings had been on the roof talking for hours now. Starfire was healed and needed to be recharged, so they went to the place with the most sunlight. Robin had tried to listen into the conversation, but it was all Tamaranean.

"So what happened back there?" Raven had scared him. He had no idea she was even in the same room,

"I'm going to be honest. I have no idea. I'm not sure what Slade was even after, exactly… I-"

"Well, then, go ask." Raven rolled her eyes. She sighed, frustrated in response to his look of fear, "Star loves you Robin. She knows you have questions. She knows you. She probably expected you sooner."

Robin sighed, "what happened with Ryand'r back there?"

She smirked at him, "you're stalling, but I'll humor you. He was in a tank. I hadn't seen one like it before. He looked… dead. I thought we were too late, to be honest. Cyborg had to cut and reconnect some wires, then I tore the tank open. Some of the 'Slades' had followed us, Beastboy fought them off."

Robin nodded.

"Anything, else?" Then Raven held up a hand, "and because you were about to ask, Beastboy and Cyborg are fine. They're playing video games. Now get up there."

Robin sighed and ascended the stairs that he had been staring at for the past three hours.

He slid open the door.

"Robin!" He was instantly hugged by his girlfriend, her arms around his neck and her head nuzzled into his neck, "I had wondered when you would be doing the 'joining of us'."

Robin looked up towards her brother and sister. Backfire was smiling at him sadly, while Ryand'r was looking at him suspiciously, "sorry to keep you waiting, Star."

She pulled him over to the edge of the roof next to her siblings and sat down, pulling for him to follow, "we are merely doing the 'caching up'. Oh! I have just remembered, Robin, this is my brother, Ryand'r. Rand'r this is Robin. "

Robin stood to shake his hand, but Ryand'r just stared at him, confused. Starfire stood next to Robin, "Ry, it is an Earthen tradition to take the hand of a new acquaintance and shake it." She offered her brother a warm smile. He smiled back and complied, rising from his seat,

"I apologize. Slade didn't teach me Earthen manners. In your language my name is Wildfire. If it is easier, you may call me that." Wildfire offered a small, careful smile before he took back his hand. His face turned dark, "I hear you have my sister's _d'aulle nitney_."

"Ryand'r." Starfire chastised.

Robin turned to her, "I have your what?"

Starfire stood on her toes to put her forehead to his, "may we discuss it tonight, _dy iliuni?_ "

Robin nodded, just thankful for the contact. His girlfriend was safe. Slade wouldn't get her. It was done.

"So Wildfire, what's your story?" Robin smiled at Starfire as she brought him back down to sit. She beamed back at him.

Wildfire sighed, "after one of their experiments failed, the Psions thought I was going to die. They left me chained on the nearest planet, afraid that seeing my body would set my sisters off on them. Still didn't work out in their favor… but I eventually was able to melt the chains. And I tracked the ship the best I could. When I found out that these two were no longer on the ship, I searched planet to planet. I thought maybe they were chained up like I had been. I finally came across Earth. I crash landed somewhere very cold. After traveling for some time, I came across Slade. He told me he knew Starfire. He told me so much about her, I thought he could be trusted. I told him about our story, our lives. He led me to this city, he told me he was going to get Starfire. Something bit into my skin and shot lightning into my body. I have been unconscious ever since."

Robin nodded, taking in his story, "probably the taser." Something occurred to him, "who did you get English from?"

Ryand'r shrugged, "Slade."

Robin guffawed.

Ryand'r continued, "he was talking to me, and I couldn't understand him. It was annoying. So, I took that thing off his face and proceeded with the lip contact. He was very mad… Kori, why do humans have such strange reactions to lip contact here?"

Starfire looked at him with compassion. Backfire spoke, "it means more to them. Humans can't learn languages like we do. Lip contact is called kissing here. It's and expression of affection. I'm sure Kori and Robin do it all the time."

Robin paled and Starfire giggled.

Blackfire spoke again, "Ry, if you haven't been on Tamaran… I think we should go. Galfore

is Grand Ruler. He'll probably reinstate your royalty."

Wildfire cocked his head, "I still don't understand why you're not ruling Kori. Kom… what you did was wrong… but Kori should still rule."

Robin tightened.

Starfire shook her head, "my life, my heart, and my love, they are all on Earth. I am no longer right for Tamaran. Kom… If I speak to Galfore, I am sure you will be reinstated as well."

Blackfire looked at the girl with wide eyes, "you would do that?"

Starfire looked back over the horizon, "I have always thought you would be a superior Grand Ruler to me, sister. The last time you were ruling, it as out of malice… now, I believe it would be from your heart."

Robin put his arm around his girlfriend's waist and pulled her in.

She rested her head on his shoulder.

Blackfire smirked, "I must admit though, you and Robin would make a great Grand Rulers, sister."

Robin paled again, and Blackfire roared with laughter.

###

Starfire fiddled with her chain while standing outside Robin's door. She was unsure of what his response to everything would be. She knew that she had fought the urge to cry when she found out that she had given Robin her soladium. It gave him full control of her energy when ever he desired. She had felt as though she had lost her freedom again, until she remembered that this was Robin. He would never do anything to hurt her.

She raised her arm and knocked on the door.

The door flew open and Robin was wearing a bright smile.

"My turn!" He opened his arms and Starfire flew into them eagerly. The door slid shut behind her. Starfire kissed Robin's jaw.

"Star, you did it. You beat him." He kissed her forehead.

She shook her head and pulled away. Placing a hand on his cheek, "I do believe I had much of the assistance."

Robin pulled her back into a hug. She nuzzled into his neck, "Robin, Ryand'r is alive and well. I had believed he was gone."

Robin held her tighter. He smiled, he couldn't help it, she was radiating happiness.

Starfire suddenly sighed, "I am afraid I have some troubling news. You may be angry."

She pulled him to the bed, his face was dark, "I have a feeling-"

"You will not like this." She smiled sadly and nodded, reading his mind, "Richard, the 'charm' I have given to you, it is soladium, it is the solid form of a property that lies within my energy. I was correct when I thought it was the ultimate sign of love, however it was more than that. By gifting that to you, I have given you control of my energy as well."

Robin's face paled, "what?" It sounded like a growl, "can I give it back?"

Starfire shook her head, "I do not believe so, and Richard, I am unsure I would desire you to give it back."

He shot up and stared at her. His voice was still dark, "Star."

"Richard, I trust you. I know you will not use that against me unless… Unless it is necessary to. I am still unsure of how the _d'aulle nitney_ functions," She paused and pulled his necklace out from under his cape, looking at it, "but during our sparring, it silenced a very dangerous part of me. I trust you, and I am thankful that this belongs to you."

He lifted her chin, she looked into his mask. She gently put her fingers under the material and removed it.

He offered her a small smile, but it went back into an emotionless expression, "you're okay with this?"

Starfire nodded, "and you, Richard? Are you the 'o and kay' about this?"

He laid back on the bed, Starfire straddled his stomach in order to look into his face.

"What does that mean, I can control the energy?" He ran his hands up and down her back,

"It may be difficult to explain… you are able to stop it and start it… or influence it's intensity." She furrowed her brow, set her hands on his chest, then laid her chin upon them.

He stroked her hair, "do you know how?"

She ran a hand through his hair, "I am not sure. I believe we may have to travel to Tamaran to find the answers."

Robin nodded, "I was thinking that you, Kom, and Ryand'r would probably want to go. I was hoping you'd let the team come too."

She perked up, then deflated, "but we cannot leave the city unprotected."

Robin allowed a grin to spread across his lips, "I already called Bumblebee."

Starfire smiled and gently kissed him, "thank you Richard."

Robin kissed her nose, "I love you, Star."

"And I, you, Richard. I apologize fore the trouble I have caused." She buried her head in his chest.

Robin rubbed her arms, "you didn't cause it, Star. Slade did. How did Slade get Blackfire anyway?"

"Slade tricked Ryand'r into sending her a communication before Ryand'r was knocked unconcious. When Kom appeared, Slade continued to threaten her with Ryand'r's pain… It was quite effective."

Robin rubbed her back, "I'm sorry this happened to you, Star. You never deserved any of this."

Starfire kissed his neck, "it is nothing you must apologize for, Richard."

"When do you want to leave for Tamaran?"

"As soon as it is possible, if that is alright?" Starfire looked at him shyly,

"I'm sure we can leave tomorrow. We just have to tell the team. C'mon." Robin sat up and pulled her from the bed. He moved her hair and kissed behind her ear.

He went towards the door, Starfire playfully pulled at his cape.

He turned. Starfire was twirling his mask between her fingers, a playful smirk on her lips.


	20. Chapter 20

_Okay… Chapter 20… I feel like this one is going to be pretty long…If you are reading this in the future when this story is complete, I suggest (if you are reading it all at once) that you take a break here. It is a lot of information and important plot points all at once. So yeah, terrible writing on my part. Sorry._

 _Joker voice: Here… we… go!_

"Starfire, we can't just sit out here!" Beastboy sounded exasperated, the titans had been waiting outside the Ops room door for an hour now.

"Friend Cyborg just requires more time." Starfire played with her fingers, Robin had picked up Starfire's nervous habits quickly, this was one of them, he grabbed her hand.

"He's right though, Star, Cyborg and Bumblebee have had plenty of time to talk. I'm sure she knows all about what's expected of her team here." Robin kissed her hand, and starfire looked at him in disbelief.

"Robin, I know you are well aware of what I am regarding."Star raised one eyebrow.

Robin chuckled. Raven spoke, leaning on the wall next to Starfire, "you said yourself, we need to go to Tamaran. We all care about Cy's happiness, Star. He'll appreciate how much time he had. Let's go."

Starfire allowed a wicked smile to cross her lips, and Robin knew she was saying something to Raven through their connection. The empath turned bright red and swatted the alien across her head and her rear, "I'm not talking to you."

Starfire laughed whole heartedly.

Blackfire sighed, "I still don't understand why Cyborg even needs time."

Wildfire looked at her and wiggled excitedly, "I understand! Cyborg feels affection for the pollinating insect!"

Robin laughed, "Bumblebee, she's another titan, Wildfire."

Wildfire turned towards him, "oh? She's a human? Then I don't understand why Cyborg needs to be ashamed of his affection either.."

Starfire's eyes widened, "Ryand-"

Wildfire suddenly burst through the door, "Cyborg, why do we need to hide if your desires are for a fellow human, not an insect?"

Cyborg's eyes became saucers and his face went bright red. He looked at the other titans with a strange mix of emotions; anger, surprise, and something else.

Bumblebee was the first one to regain the ability to speak, "what?"

Wildfire shook her hand, "I am Koriand'r's brother, Ryand'r. I was under the impression that you were an insect."

Bumblebee looked at Starfire, "Koriand'r? Star? Is that your real name?" Starfire nodded, "Well, then nice to meet you Ryand'r. Nope, not a bug. All woman."

Wildfire cocked his head, "if you are a human, why did we have to give you two privacy? I would understand Cyborg's embarrassment if he actually had affections for an insect…"

Blackfire was bubbling with laughter, while the other titans had looks of terror on their faces. Starfire began pushing Ryand'r to the door,

"brother, let us go prepare the ship for departure." She shot an apologetic look to Cyborg and Bumblebee then vanished through the door, the others following her.

Bumblebee turned to Cyborg, a hand on her hip, "so, 'affections' huh?"

Cyborg went red again.

###

Robin watched Starfire load bags into the ship. They were unsure of how long they were staying, so they packed for a week. She said she hoped it would not be any longer than that. Robin sighed, he knew that once she was there he would be unable to touch her. Even for support. Starfire suddenly felt his eyes and looked over to him. She beamed at him, and he could not help but return the smile. She flew by his side,

"You are anxious for the trip?" She prompted him, seemingly reading his mind,

"A little. Star, I do want to look more into this _d'aulle nitney._ I mean, I would like for you to have a way out. I know you said you're okay with it, but it's your freedom, you know?" He had absently began rubbing his neck.

She ran her hand through his hair, "do not fret, _dy iliuni._ I understand. We must be very private about the _d'aulle nitney._ I do not wish for you to be targeted because of my ignorance."

Robin was taken aback for a moment, "I could be targeted?"  
Starfire nodded grimly, "from Blackfire has told me, _d'aulle nitney._ are not often given anymore. In the time of constant war on Tamaran, the energies may be given to a… I believe a general is the closest term. This was so attacks would be executed swiftly, and properly." She tilted her head and fiddled with Robin's collar, "however, many couples of war defied this. They would offer their _d'aulle nitney._ to each other. This was so, if one was in danger, they could call upon one another to help protect them…. I.. I am trailing off of 'the point'." She sighed and released him, "many Tamaraneans may be upset to find that I have given a power over my energy to an offworlder. As I am still royalty… many Tamaraneans feel a.. a claim over it."

Robin shook his head, "no one owns you. Never have. Never will." He touched her cheek, "Star, would you have still given me the _d'aulle nitney._ if you knew?"

Starfire tilted her head, "that it would put you in danger. I am unsure, Ri-Robin… I an not fond of risking your life." He smiled at her small bite of sarcasm.

He shook his head, "no, I meant if you knew what the real meaning of the _d'aulle nitney._ was."

Starfire kissed his cheek, "yes. It is still considered our ultimate sign of affection."

Robin's mouth was agape, shocked, he was about to speak when Raven called over,

"Starfire, we're all set up. Ready to go when you guys are."

"We shall join you now, Raven. I apologize!" Starfire offered him a small smile and began to walk towards the ship.

Robin blinked. This was it. The last time he would be able to touch her for a week. He gently grabbed her arm, and pulled her back to him. She squeaked in surprise when his mouth latched onto hers. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in, his tongue begging for entrance. She complied, and her hands traveled down his chest. He inhaled her scent and cherished her taste.

He sighed and broke away. Placing his forehead against hers, "Koriand'r, I love you. You are the light of my life."

"Richard… I love you. You are _dy iliuni_ and _dy auera."_

Robin kissed her again and chuckled, "I have no idea what that means."

She giggled, "my-"

Ryand'r suddenly shouted in Tamaranean. Starfire jumped and turned red,

"Brother! As youngest of us all, you have no need for such curses!"

Robin smiled and pulled her to the ship.

###

Starfire had never been more thankful for Cyborg's mind as she was now. He had decided that separate pods weren't such a good idea after the titans were stranded on that planet. So, he thought it would be a good idea to redesign the T-Ship.A few weeks ago, he had asked Robin for some funds. Within days his request was granted and Cyborg began. The result was truly a technological masterpiece, in Starfire's mind. She saw the influence of Val-yor's ship in the control room. There were four controls by the front window, and one in the middle of the room. Starfire gathered that was Cyborg's main controller. Behind the control room, was there area to exit the ship, whether it be from landing or still in the air. Within the wings there were sitting rooms.

Cyborg had requested taking the flying in shifts. Cyborg had offered to go first. Excited to 'try out his newest gal.' The team decided that he would probably decided to fly the whole way. Robin had entered the control room after Cyborg's original shift, and offered to take over, but the half robot quite literally kicked him out. That was two hours ago.

The titans sat on the couch in the left wing. They had been conversing on and off, Raven nodded off for a while, then read. It had been an uneventful trip.

Blackfire spoke, "Kori, are you really going to try to get me reinstated as an heir."

Starfire tilted her head, "Kom, you have asked me this many times now." She sighed, "yes. I am going to attempt to do so. You are aware that Galfore will welcome you. We must work to help you win back the people."

Blackfire nodded sadly.

Wildfire put his feet on Starfire's lap, "when I'm Grand Ruler, I'm going to be the boss of you two."

The girls raised an eyebrow at him. Blackfire spoke, "Kori, he's obviously forgotten about the ass-kicking you gave him during the _ineyon'dr._ "

Wildfire retracted his feet, his face contorted in horror.

Starfire nodded, she stood from the couch, and adjusted her skirt, "it does seem that way, does it not?" She gestured for Ryand'r to approach her with her finger, "come here brother. I shall remind you."

The titans laughed heartily as Wildfire quickly shook his head. Starfire returned to her seat between Robin and her brother.

"Star kicked our asses, I didn't even last thirty seconds." Beastboy began to pout.

A wicked grin spread across Blackfire's face, "Ry didn't last ten."

Wildfire sunk even lower as the titan's laughed.

Starfire saw her brother's dismay and put a hand on his shoulder, "Ryand'r, you must not feel down. You did not yet have the advanced Okaarean training." he finally met her eyes and she beamed at him, " we could continue with your _j'huta_ lessons, if you so desire…"

He sat up and smiled, "I know exactly where we left off!"

Starfire ruffled his hair, "it had been quite some time since I have used weapons. I hope you will be patient with me, Ry."

Wildfire took her hand and nodded, "do you remember Mother's face when you told her you would be mastering TWO weapons?"

Blackfire laughed, imitating their mother, " 'Tamaran's _grimurel verndoce!_ TWO weapons. Mastery of both? Koriand'r it is simply not done! Komand'r do you condone this lunacy?' "

Ryand'r laughed, "I condoned it. Do you remember father's face when you told him?"

The air turned tense. Blackfire sucked in an angry breath.

Starfire exhaled her negative feelings and decided to relighten the mood, "it was much like the one he made when Blackfire told him she felt affections for Irthder."

Blackfire looped her arm around Wildfire to push a laughing Starfire, "shush! I didn't know he was related to us!"

Wildfire shook his head solemnly, "shortest romance on Tamaran."

Starfire raised her eyebrow at Ryand'r, "You have forgotten-?"

Wildfire slapped his hand over her mouth and looked wildly at the titans, "Kori, shut up! I didn't know!"

He began whispering at her in Tamaranean, the sisters laughing.

The titan's looked at the siblings. Smiles on their faces. It seemed as though Starfire always watched out for others. Even before she was actually a hero. Robin shook his head.

Cyborg's voice scratched over the intercom, "Thiiiiiiis is your captain speaking. We have arrived at the beautiful Tamaran. We enjoyed flying with you, and would just like to let you know that tips and compliments are encouraged and appreciated. For real though guys, we're here."

Wildfire stood, a smile on his lips, "guys, we're home."

###

Starfire stepped off of the ship first. Ready for the worst. She was returning with a banished princess and a prince who was believed to be dead. Taqmaraneans were superstitious people. This had the opportunity to go terribly. She saw Galfore from a distance. His weapon was drawn. The new design of the t-ship meant he had to take them as a possible threat. Starfire gestured to her friends and siblings to stay on the ship. She approached her _k'nofka_.

The sound weapons hitting the ground echoed through the air, the Titans jumped at the sound but stayed hidden. Galfore abandoned his 'Grand Ruler' tendencies and ran to her, dropping to his knees and holding her face,

"Dear, sweet Koriand'r. I feared the worst. I feared all my _bumgorfs_ were gone. But here is _dy auera_ before me…"

Robin jumped at the familiar endearment. He then heard Starfire's honey voice,

"Galfore. I believe your heart will be eased very soon… I bring you… the best… Galfore… Fate had spared us." Her voice shook at the end.

WIldfire took that as his cue and emerged from the guards gasped and took up their weapons again. Galfore quickly put Starfire behind him and stared, "Ryand'r… you are… this.. cannot be my _bumgorf_ …"

Ryand'r laughed heartily and a smile took over Galfore's face. Starfire emerged from behind Galfore, she approached Ryand'r and squeezed his hand, before she reappeared before her friends and gestured to her friends and sister to come out.

Galfore tensed slightly when he saw Blackfire, but he looked to Starfire, "I believe you have some explaining to do to me, my _bumgorf._ "

Starfire nodded, "and I have a few questions of my own, for you."

The guards closed rank around them and lead them to the palace.

Beastboy leaned into Raven. She heard a faint growl. Raven knew that his animal side hated being corralled in, she looped her arm through his, "Beastboy, it's alright. Morph into a mouse."

He did as she bade and morphed, landing softly in her hands. She stroked his head as they continued to walk to the palace.

Beastboy snuggled into her hand.

Raven smiled.

###

Galfore sat in his throne. He had cleared the room. The titans and three siblings were completely alone with Galfore.

Galfore gestured for Starfire to approach. When she did he gestured for her to sit on the stairs. Robin's eyes widened when Galfore rose from his throne and sat next to her on the floor,

"Kori, please explain."

Starfire nodded and fiddled with her hands, "your messages were being intercepted by a villain named Slade. Ryand'r was found by him, and was tricked by him. This man then lured Kom to him, and forced her to engage in combat with me, threatening Ry's life. Eventually Kom lead my friends and I to this Slade and we engaged him. After we were victorious, we came here."

Galfore looked to Wildfire, "and how is it you live?"

Wildfire stepped forward, "the Psions left me chained to a planet for dead. I escaped my chains and searched all over for Kori and Kom."

Galfore looked at him solemnly, "you did not return home?"

Ryand'r looked at the ground, "I wouldn't return home without my sisters."

Starfire looked at her brother sadly, Blackfire put a hand on his shoulder.

Galfore looked back to Starfire, "and Blackfire?"

Starfire looked her _k'norfka_ in the eye, "Blackfire has returned to our Kom. I have forgiven her. She was loyal when it counted the most. She could have allowed Slade at acquire everything she was after, but she protected my friends and I."

Galfore nodded, "and what was this Slade after?"

Starfire wrung her hands harder. Backfire spoke for her,

"her _d'aulle nitney.."_

Galfore stood, panting angrily. Starfire stood immediately after her _k'norfka_ raising two hands in an attempt to calm him. He gripped her shoulders and she flinched.

He growled his words, "he did not put his hands on it, did he."

Starfire put her hands on his cheeks, "no Galfore. He did not succeed."

He released Starfire's shoulders.

Robin could see the red marks beginning to form.

Blackfire stepped forward, "Galfore, did you really believe that her friends would allow anything to happen to her."

Galfore looked at Robin, "no, they would not."

He looked at Ry and Kom, "come, Tamaran is anxious to see the royal family."


	21. Chapter 21

_Sorry this took so long. I got a cold and had to work. No excuse, but whatever. Thank you to all of you. You guys are amazing. Thank you so much._

 _I'm thinking that this will be a pretty long chapter… again. So if you're binge reading this, TAKE A BREAK NOW._

 _I have a feeling that from here on out, they will all be long chapters._

Starfire collapsed onto her bed. It felt strange to be away from the titans. She felt isolated. The first time she had visited with the titans had been hard as well. Although, back then she feared she was leaving them forever. Now it was just a few days, maybe a week without sleeping in the same wing as them. She had not slept alone in a long while. The bed felt cold and far too big.

She sighed again and examined her arms. Galfore had left bruises. He had not meant to, and he apologized profusely. Starfire understood. Galfore had feared the worst, and from what she had recently heard, the worst was horrific. If Slade controlled her energy instead of Robin, Starfire would already be dead. She rubbed her arms, trying to direct her mind elsewhere.

The people had been shocked to see her siblings, as she had suspected. One man had insisted that Wildfire be burned, but a hissing Starfire and a furious Galfore quieted them Quickly. Wildfire told his story to the people, and they accepted him easily. For Blackfire, it was a bit more difficult. She had told her side of everything and the things she had done after her banishment, she apologized for her misdoings. It was not until Starfire stepped forward and told the Tamaraneans of Blackfire's combat against Slade, and the ways her sister protected her that the girl was forgiven.

Starfire stood from her bed and walked over to the balcony. Her mind drifted back to Ryand'r. When he had gone to his room, they were all shocked to find the room mostly empty, especially Galfore. Galfore believed that after Myand'r died, and Tamaran fell into anarchy, many Tamaraneans took all of the good s they could and fled. A few of these Tamaraneans, called Scavengers, would steal royal property to sell. Galfore decided that since Ryand'r's room was nearest to his parents they were the easiest of the rooms to target. Galfore was furious, he had guarded all of the rooms of the royal family to the best of his abilities, praying for the return of his _bumgorfs._ Blackfire claimed that she knew a few of the places that would buy these stolen goods, and that she would help Ryand'r find his things. Blackfire believed that she had some items missing as well. Starfire was missing nothing, she did not have a lot of material things to begin with, the bow and arrow were still in her room along with her sword. She still had the drawings from Ryand'r and carving of the Tamaranean moons that Blackfire had made her.

The siblings were known for giving each other meaningful gifts. Starfire enjoyed art, and would often paint or draw in her free time and give the finished products to Ryand'r, he then seemed to mirror her interest and would draw for her as well. Starfire's drawings used to decorate Ryand'r's walls, and some of them remained, others were scavenged. Blackfire was often gone on royal duties, or training at Okaara, so Starfire would write her stories, fairytales, and present them to her whenever she came home. Blackfire told Starfire that she read them at every spare moment she had. Starfire remembered how honored she felt that her older sister appreciated her gifts to such an extent. She stroked the carving of the moons with her hands,

"You couldn't sleep either?"

Starfire jumped at Robin's voice. She looked over to the balcony. She had left the doors open to air out the room. She smiled at Robin, "it is most strange to sleep alone, _dy iliuni._ "

Robin entered and closed the doors behind him. He smiled at the girl, "long day?" He outstretched his arms and she flew into them,

"Oh, yes." She sighed, then looked up at his face, "were your quarters unsatisfactory?"

Robin snuggled into her hair, "my quarters were alright."

Starfire raised an eyebrow, "just alright?" She had asked Galore for the best quarters to house her friends.

Robin nodded, "they didn't have you."

Starfire allowed a small smile, then removed his mask, "Richard, I do not wish for us to get into the trouble."

Robin raised an eyebrow, "and why would we get in trouble?"

Starfire tilted her head, "I believe it would be best if we avoid telling Galfore that were are in love."

Robin was taken aback, "what?"

Starfire shook her head quickly, "do not misunderstand. I love you very much, Richard. I do wish he could know, but love means something very different on Tamaran." She offered him a smile, "it may be safer to be patient and wait."

Robin nodded, then scooped her up and carried her to bed, "so I sneak in, stay the night with you, then sneak out? Got it."

Starfire giggled, " _Dy iliuni,_ you are quite cunning."

Robin allowed themselves to collapse onto the bed, and Starfire instantly nuzzled into his chest.

Robin laid back and began stroking her hair, "Star? What does _dy iliuni_ mean? And the other one… _dy…dy ale…ra?"_

 _"_ _Dy auera?"_ Starfire corrected, Robin nodded. Starfire ran a hand through her hair, blushing, "they are merely terms of endearment, Richard."

Robin noticed her blushing and tickled her stomach. He smiled slyly, "there's more."

Starfire giggled uncontrollable at the contact. He stopped his movements for a moment so she could respond, "Richard. There is not much to say… they translate to 'my light' and 'my heart'."

Robin smiled and peppered her face with kisses. He pulled away after a few moments, "now, what do I call you?"

Starfire smiled and shook her head, "it is unnecessary for you to call me anything different, Richard. You should not feel obligated to do anything."

Robin shook his head, and kissed her nose, "hmm, there's the terms of endearment I know, like 'dear,' 'babe'." Starfire scrunched up her nose at 'babe' and Robin laughed.

"Humans refer to their significant others as the piglet from the children's movie?" Starfire tilted her head, "I had believed 'swine' to be an insult."

Now Robin was laughing whole heartedly and Starfire playfully slapped his arm, "do not do the laughing at me. I could call Galfore into my chambers. You would have to explain why you were disturbing my sleep."

Robin kept laughing, "wouldn't you have to explain too?"

Starfire had a wicked gleam in her eyes. She began to mimic the voice of her _k'norfka,_ "Koriand'r, why is your leader in your quarters?" Robin laughed at her impression. She began to reply as herself but with a much higher pitch, "Oh Galfore! I do not know! He climbed through the window and asked me to play with his reproductive organs!"

Robin's laughter ceased, he looked at her in horror, "you wouldn't."

She smirked at her, "do you wish to find out?"

Robin began to kiss her, deeply and passionately. Starfire had many different parts to her personality; alluring, kind, honest, caring, funny, powerful, loyal, and curious. He was honored that he got to see them all. Robin released her and looked down at her arms. He lifted and began examining it, "are you okay? I was going to stop him, but I realized it wasn't my place."

Starfire nodded, "I am unsure what the result would have been if you had interfered, I believe staying uninvolved was the safest option." She sighed then continued, "I am undamaged. He was full of the concern. He would never purposefully hurt me. Tamaraneans who did not train on Okaara rely more on their powers. In times of fear, their confidence grows in power as a defense mechanism. This increases their strength enormously. If he had been calm and grabbed my arm as so, it would be much different."

Robin tilted his head, "I thought Galfore had trained on Okaara."

Starfire sighed, "he was one of the few Tamaraneans of a non-elevated class to be chosen to train there. He, however, did not get the chance. This was years before I was born… Galfore and the others chosen were celebrating their luck, when Tamaran was attacked. The Citadel launched an ambush on my people. Galfore stayed to fight. When Blackfire was born, he took my father's place as head… general for a while. He is truly a skilled fighter, even without Okaarean training. After my father was able to retake his position, he offered Galfore the training once again. I was born then, he asked to to protect and to help raise the royal offspring instead."

Robin was taken aback, "have you ever asked him why?"

Starfire nodded and smiled, "he does not answer, it embarrasses him."

Robin smiled in return, his face then went stony, "are you sure you want to go look for Wildfire and Blackfire's things tomorrow? We could just stay around Tamaran. You didn't really get to show us around like you wanted to last time."

Starfire beamed at him, "I desire to show you around, but I must assist in the search as well."

Robin nodded grimly, "we're all going then."

Starfire tilted her head, "Rich-"

Robin huffed and shook his head. Starfire put a hand to his cheek, "you do not trust Ryand'r?"

Robin shrugged, "you know me, it takes a while for me to trust anyone. I would let you go if it was just Ryand'r though."

Starfire sat up, an unreadable expression on her face, "you do not trust Kom."

Robin nodded and his eyes widened as she rose from the bed. He did not want to make her mad, but she returned with a stone carving.

"My sister created this for me," Robin's eyes widened and she continued, "the tree that is in the center of our palace is made of a rock by the name of _amordium._ On Tamaran, it symbolizes love, protection, and unparalleled loyalty. These emotions are intense for a Tamaranean, they hold the ability to greatly influence our powers." She traces over the crevices in her sculpture, "she had flown to each moon to study the details for an accurate likeness. She stayed on those moons for three earthen days, for she did not have the spare energy we possess now to make the trip in one day." A smile spread across her face, "this is the Kom I remember. I never truly believed her evil. I believed her confused and angry."

She offered the sculpture to Robin and he traced his fingers over every detail as well, it was the most amazing object he had ever seen. Starfire spoke again, "I trust her with my entire being, Richard. She will not allow anything to happen to me."

Robin nodded, "can we still come?"

Starfire smiled, "of course, but do not feel as though you must for my protection."

Robin shook his head in disbelief, "this is really amazing. I'm glad this wasn't scavenged. You're really not missing anything?"

Starfire shook her head, she was about to speak, but a voice interrupted her,

"Kori was always as helpful and kind to the people as she was allowed." The couple jumped, they had not heard Blackfire enter the room. Backfire continued, "she found it difficult to ignore them as we were taught to. No matter how desperate the Scavenger, I doubt they would have the heart to steal from her. They nicknamed her _jeia t'iliuni_ for _X'hal's_ sake."

Starfire blushed furiously, Robin spoke, "Light? Something about light?"

Starfire nodded, Blackfire spoke for her, "it equates to 'angel of light' in english. To be compared to light is an honor. One of the greatest honors."

Robin looked at Starfire confused, "and'r means 'fire' right?" Starfire nodded, he continued, "isn't fire and light the same?"

Blackfire's eyes widened, "no! Fire is the offering of warmth and protection. Light is where Tamaraneans draw their powers, it gives us strength and it gives us life."

Robin smiled at Starfire. He remembered her endearment, he began rubbing her back.

Starfire reined in her blushing, "Kom, I apologize, did you require something?"

Blackfire nodded. She approached the couple and pulled a large book from her robe, "I found this, it is the most descriptive book on the _d'aulle nitney._ It is in ancient Tamaranean, it will be difficult to read, even for you sister. I suggest you begin in the morning."

Starfire nodded and opened the book, "oh…" She looked up at her sister, "I am most grateful I studied ancient Tamaranean on Okaara."

Blackfire chuckled. She took the book and the sculpture from the couple, placing it on the table next to the bed, "you two need to rest. Our first destination tomorrow is on the edge of the Vegan system. Kori, I'd bring your weapons. It's could get dicey."

###

Starfire held her laughter within her. Cyborg was hovering over Blackfire,

"Cyborg, I promise I will not crash your damn ship!" Blackfire looked over her shoulder at the half man,

"Girl, that doesn't mean I trust you to fly! Why couldn't you just give me the coordinates?" Cyborg was fuming.

Blackfire smirked and gestured to the upcoming upscales with her head, "you'll see in a second."

The titans gasped as large rocks covered in ice moved freely in the space before the T-ship,

"I've flown this hundreds of times."

Starfire spoke next, "this is the _Ythrok'i_ system, yes?"

Blackfire nodded, "yeah, how did you know?"

Starfire and Wildfire were the only steady forms as the ship banked sharply to avoid a rock. Starfire spoke, "when I was on the Gordanian ship, they kidnapped a few Celtulians. They flew this route to avoid persecution."

Blackfire nodded and banked in the other direction, sending the titans flying once again, "the authorities do not fly this course. That's why Scavenges can sell here."

"Dudes, can we like stop with the turns? I'm gonna be sick!" Beastboy clutched onto Raven's robe,

"If you're going to vomit, please let go of me." Raven tried to shake Beastboy off but he clung fast, quickly shaking his head.

Cyborg began mumbling curses as he attempted to stand again.

Blackfire chuckled darkly, "oh don't get your metal knickers in a knot. We're here."

Starfire gently hit her sister on the arm for her crassness. Blackfire laughed.

The ship landed gently on a strip of rock. Cyborg handed suits with tanks to the titans.

Beastboy looked at the suits with distaste, "we really have to wear these?"

Raven gave him a disbelieving look, "would you rather die from hypoxia?"

The Tamaraneans were empathic to the others' inconvenience.

Starfire looked over Raven's suit and sighed, "it will be very cold, hold out your hands please."

She transferred energy to Robin, Raven, and Beastboy, "with this surplus of energy, you should be able to keep your bodies at their necessary temperature with ease. You should not feel the cold."

Cyborg shook his head at her offer, "I installed a heater after we went to Russia. Learned my lesson."

Wildfire looked at Starfire with wild curiosity. He spoke quickly and in Tamaranian.

Starfire furrowed her brow and replied in english, "of course, Ryand'r. They are my family as well."

Blackfire snapped her fingers and attention fell on her, "this place was attacked."

Robin looked to Cyborg, "do we have company?"

Cyborg scanned the area and shook his head, "no, there's no other signs of life. Just us. The attack must've been a while ago."

They approached the battered building. It had been attacked alright, the tarp which was a makeshift building for the illegal market had been ripped and, by the looks of it, it had seen some gunfire. Blackfire kicked down the door, her hands holding two massive starbolts and her eyes glowing furiously. The silence was agonizing,

Robin shook his head, "what happened here?"

Starfire picked up a broken stone emblem from the ground, she did not recognize it, "whoever was responsible for this ambush, they did not originate from the Vegan system." She handed the emblem to Blackfire. She nodded, confirming Starfire's statement,

"luckily for us, Ry, that means our shit would be here still. It's worthless to someone out side of our system. I guess I lied about it getting dicey, Kori."

Wildfire nodded and began exploring, as did Blackfire. The titans did not let Starfire explore unaccompanied.

Starfire saw a familiar blue box and smiled, "Kom! Ryand'r!" Her siblings were beside her instantly, similar smiles on their faces.

Starfire looked to her friends, "this was our mother's _j'ieve_ case. They are similar to your earthen knives. She was very skilled.."

The redhead unlatched the box. Their faces fell when the box was empty. Starfire placed the box on the ground, "it is understandable. They were weapons and useful, they would not be left behind."

Blackfire looked on the shelves near where Starfire had found their mother's box, "this is defiantly the Tamaranean section." She smiled, "look."

She lifted a pile of dust ridden parchment, "I'm not sure if they're legible anymore, but these are them, Kori."

Starfire giggled, "all thirty-eight?"

Blackfire laughed, "more than half of them. Hopefully these are the ones that were good."

Starfire's smile turned cheeky, "I do recall you saying you read every one. You are unable to withdraw your statements now."

Blackfire scrunched up her nose at her sister and placed the piles of parchment in their mother's _j'ieve_ case.

Wildfire whooped as he held up several drawings, "yours and mine, Kori." Starfire looked at the art in her brother's hands, the titans peering over their shoulders. An exact likeness of the Tamaranean sky was on top of the pile in one of his hands, and a mess of a forest was in the other. Wildfire blushed, "I remembered being better."

Starfire smiled at him, "you were still learning, if I recall there are many that are well done." Wildfire smiled at his sister.

Raven point at the drawing of the night sky, "Star, you did that?"

Starfire furrowed her brow, "yes, it is quite common for the royal offspring to have specialties to pass the time."

Robin grinned at her, "is there anything you can't do?"

Blackfire chimed in, pushing Starfire's arm, "write."

Starfire grinned wickedly at her sister, "if I recall, you used one of my writings in a academic session on Okaara, sister."

Blackfire began to sift through the shelves again, "I have the feeling that I should have been dismissed from Okaara."

Wildfire nodded, "I agree, sister, you were often in trouble and Kori often did your academic drills."

Starfire's sudden shriek racked through the titans. They turned the corner, she was on the ground with her hands over her eyes, mumbling what sounded like a desperate prayer in Tamaranean. Robin rubbed her shoulder and search for the cause of her distress. Wildfire and Blackfire stared unblinkingly at the Tamaranian remains before them.

Raven's breath left her in disbelief, "is that?"

Wildfire shook his head, "I had not believed he was so disrespected…Why wasn't he burned?"

In the glass 'coffin' before them was the corpse of Myand'r, their father. Blackfire's skin began to radiate heat. She punched through the glass and tore the chain off of her dead father's neck. She crouched before her sister, obstructing her view of the body. She caressed her sister's hair. Starfire peeked out from behind Robin's arm,

"How could they scavenge his body sister?" her eyes still held fright and were overflowing with tears.

Blackfire's face was stony, she looked to Wildfire, who was still distracted. She whispered to Starfire, "he was a disgrace to the throne. He did not cherish his children as he should have, and he sold the child most loved by the people, and heir to the throne to her suspected doom."

Blackfire tore their mother's charm off of the chain and held it out to her sister, "this is yours."

Starfire held the charm between her fingers, a small smile forming on her face as she felt the familiar smoothness.

Starfire shook her head, "no sister. I was allowed to spend a great deal of time with other mother. Father forced you away too soon. She missed you." She placed the charm back into Blackfire's hand, "it is yours."

Starfire stood, still clutching to Robin. Blackfire had a stunned look on her face.

"Hey, they have something…. _Re Conteete Dy Myand'r."_ Starfire's attention snapped to Wildfire.

She tilted her head, "Ryand'r, may I?" She held her hands out for the parchment.

Wildfire handed it to her. Her eyes skimmed it quickly. Her stomach lurched and her hand came to her mouth, anger spread throughout her, "Kom."

Blackfire appeared over Starfire's shoulder, she read and her hands began to glow, "what?"

Robin looked between the sisters, "what is it?"

Starfire shook her head, "it is… this is about our father." She looked to her brother, "Ryand'r…"

He shook his head, "did you know?"

Starfire bit her lip, "I believed I was being prejudice from my own experience… I-"

Blackfire threw the parchment on the ground, "Starfire, he sold you… He didn't use you to end the war. He called for the Citadel to attack. He started the war!"

The titans looked between the siblings, Robin spoke through his teeth, "what?"

Blackfire gathered the parchment once again, "all Myand'r wanted was to end a war. He called for the Citadel to attack Tamaran, if they attacked then pretended to lose, he would give them one of his children... When Kori was born, he choose her. Mother gave Kori her _d'aulle nitney_ to protect us from father. He found out and he killed her. He told me once that he thought I was the most like him… That's why he wanted me on the throne."

Starfire looked at the ground and shook her head.

Blackfire took her sister's face in her hands, "everything he's done to you Kori, all because of this I wish I could revive him so I could kill him myself."

The titan's closed rank around Starfire, Robin Hugged her close and her friends embraced the couple.

Starfire shook her head, "I forgave father a long tie ago for the things he did to me, for they lead me to Earth… I do not comprehend how he could murder mother…I had believed that he loved her."

Wildfire looked at the body of his father in disgust, "he loved power, Kori. And he loved abusing that power."

Blackfire shook her head, "take whatever you guys want from here. When we're done, we're burning this place down."


	22. Chapter 22

_So you guys are fucking amazing. I'm trying to get this up the same night as Chapter 21. Fat chance. We'll see. I'm trying to keep unnecessary shit out. Let me know how I'm doing. If you guys hate a chapter, let me know. I'll do what I can! :)_

 _I hope you enjoy!_

The flight back to Tamaran was silent. Wildfire and Blackfire made one more stop in hopes of finding the last of their belongings, but Starfire opted to stay with the ship. The titans stayed with her. She had cuddled into Robin's chest and closed her eyes. Raven told the team Starfire was probably exhausted from the mix of emotional turmoil and giving them the energy to keep them warm. Robin just rubbed her back and put his head against the wall. When the group finally returned home, Blackfire decided that she would tell Galfore of what they had encountered.

Starfire did not want to see Galfore's reaction, she continued walking to her quarters. She was aware of Raven's presence behind her, along with Robin's. She sighed and turned around. Raven met her eyes, and she nodded. Dark magic encased the two girls and they reappeared in Raven's room. Starfire knew that Robin would be upset. She hugged herself and looked up at her friend. Raven was staring at her, sadness was evident in her eyes.

Raven shook her head, "I don't understand how all these horrible could be happening to such a kind person. It doesn't make sense to me." Raven sat on the bed.

Starfire joined her, "perhaps it is not supposed to make the sense in this moment." She took Raven's hand, "do not feel sadness for me, Raven. I am thankful that I was sent away."

Raven was taken aback. Starfire wiped a tear from the empath's face. Raven did not realize she had been crying. Raven pulled her emotions together and wiped her eyes again, "what do you mean you're thankful?"

Starfire brought her knees to her chest and rested her chin upon them, "if I had not been sent away, I would never have come to Earth. I would never have come home."

She offered Raven a shaky smile, but it fell a moment after it appeared, "I am finding it difficult to forgive my father for my mother's death."

Raven put a hand on Starfire's shoulder, "you don't have to forgive him, Star."

Starfire tilted her head at her friend, "I must forgive him, Raven."

Raven raised an eyebrow at her friend, "why?"

Starfire wrung her hands, "I do not allow myself to hold the negative emotions for others."

Raven shook her head, "after everything he's done, you're willing to forgive him? Starfire no one would judge you for staying angry at him. If anything that parchment said is true he's a terrible person. He sold you, Starfire."

Starfire played with her hair. She was still finding a way to properly express her thoughts when there was a knock at the door.

"Raven?" Beastboy's voice was shy. Starfire looked at her blushing friend,

"I-I have no idea what he wants." Raven's face flushed even more as he called for her again,

Starfire offered her a knowing smile, "then go and do the finding out."

Raven put her hood up to hide her blushing and opened the door.

Beastboy began rubbing the back of his neck as the door opened, he made eye contact with Starfire and blushed, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you guys were talking."

Starfire stood from the bed, "it is the alright Beastboy, I was just departing."

She touched Raven's shoulder and slipped past the two.

"Star." Raven's voice was still empathetic.

Starfire smiled at her, "it is alright, Raven. I believe I may have some of the research to do."

She waved at the two as she entered the hallway. She collided with something hard. She squeaked. Robin's arms wrapped around her quickly, prepared for her to fall.

He chuckled, "I was just coming to see you. I figured you were with Raven."

Starfire smiled, "Raven and Beastboy require the time alone." She giggled at his shocked expression, then continued, "I thought perhaps I should begin translating the text Kom gave us?"

Robin nodded, "you want some company?"

Starfire took his hand and lead him to her room, "of course!"

Robin chuckled and allowed her to gently pull him. The couple turned the corner only to be faced with a solemn Galfore waiting out side of Starfire's room.

Her _k'norfka's_ faced turned to surprise at the sight of the two.

Starfire approached Galfore and put a hand on his shoulder, "Galfore, what troubles you?"

Galfore took his eyes off of Robin, and looked to his _bumgorf._ He shook his head, "Princess, I have failed you. Kom have told me of what you have discovered." Galfore fell to his knee, bowing before Starfire, "when it was most important that I interfered, I instead allowed you to be taken. I believed Myand'r's tale. He claimed the Citadel murdered your mother, and that they threatened to destroy the entire royal line if he did not give them the heir. I had my suspicions, but I allowed them to take you. You were not even fully awake when-"

Starfire leveled herself with Galfore, falling to her knees as well, "Galfore, you obeyed my father's orders. I had never believed Father capable of such treachery either… I willingly boarded the Gordanian ship." She paused, "you are never required to follow orders again, Galfore." She stood, taking his shoulders and gestured for him to rise, "you bow to no one, Grand Ruler."

Galfore rose, he took Starfire's chin between his fingers, "you forgive too easily, Koriand'r. You know I have always believed that."

Starfire offered him a playful smile, "or perhaps you are too immediate to condemn. If I recall, you still hold some contempt for your _bumgorfs_ for damaging your axe."

Galfore laughed heartily, shaking his head. He eyed Robin again, "now explain this, princess."

"Robin and I have much to discuss, Galfore. We may travel to Okaara shortly, as well." Starfire bit her lip, "Galfore, do you happen to have an heir you are inclined to at the present moment?"

Galfore paled, Robin had never seen the man so timid, "you know I would prefer you to be the next Grand Ruler, Koriand'r." Starfire shook her head, and Robin released a breath he had not realized he had been holding. Galore continued, "Komand'r is far more experienced, but I feel a coup will occur should she be instated as heir."

Starfire wrung her hands, Robin longed to take one of them to stop her nervous habit. Galfore sighed and gently took one of her wrists and pulled it away from the other, "Koriand'r, do you believe Ryand'r is ready?"

Starfire shook her head, "to rule alone, I do not believe so. I believe Ryand'r and Komand'r should rule together, but that is impossible. Ryand'r holds much empathy within him, and Kom, strength. Together, they provide a balance… I find it difficult to chose one of my siblings."

Galfore shook his head, "royal siblings ruling together is unheard of, Kori. You are aware of this."

Starfire nodded, Galfore sighed, "I will do all I can to make sure Tamaran is safe and thriving, princess."

Starfire smiled at him, "I have never doubted your ability to accomplish this, Galfore. I have always thought you to be an accomplished leader."

Galfore nodded, "I leave you to converse with your leader. Please alert me when you depart for Okaara."

Starfire smiled and nodded.

When Galfore turned the corner, Robin joined Starfire by her side,

"you were serious about not telling him."

Starfire nodded, and entered her room, Robin behind her, "some Tamaranean traditions are adamant. Galfore would have no choice."

"What traditions?" He collapsed on her bed, and took off his mask. Starfire retrieved the book Blackfire had given the couple,

"There are many, Robin. You could be forced to train by Okaarean standards in order to be 'worthy of the royal blood', you may be targeted by civilians, we may even be forced into the Tamaranean form of matrimony." She began flipping through the book, successfully keeping her face steady.

Robin blanched, "but we've only been officially together… what a week, maybe two?"

Starfire nodded, "on Tamaran, it is not the amount of time, it is the emotions. Once a couple confess their affections for one other, they are betrothed, or, if they choose, they are instantly married."

Robin shook his head.

Starfire giggled at his expression, "Tamaraneans do not complicate things."

Robin chuckled, "I guess not. So anything yet?"

"It is.. difficult to translate… this section looks as if it could be useful…" Her lips began to delicate form the shape of the words she was reading.

Robin watched her work, her brow furrowing, biting her lip. She blinked a few times before she finally spoke, "there is no reversal."

Robin exhaled, "what?"

Starfire closed her eyes and exhaled, "it is permanent."

Robin put his head in his hands, "I'm sorry, Star"

She offered him a small smile, "it is alright. I am sorry I have put this upon you, Richard." She ran her hands through his hair.

He caught one of her hands and brought it to his lips. Starfire spoke again, "there is something her about how you are able to influence my energies. This claims that it is usually unconsciously done… only in times of great need is it knowingly affected, unless your energies and awareness has been thoroughly disciplined."

Robin nodded, "that's good, at least. I'm not going to be controlling you or anything."

Starfire continued to read, skipping over certain pages. She blinked at a certain page several times before she spoke, "the _d'aulle nitney_ was what was interfering with my instincts during our spar… I resist fighting you."

Robin stayed silent, unsure of how to respond. Starfire had unknowingly give him a large part of her freedom. He could tell that she wasn't sure how she should feel about the situation either.

Starfire smiled at him and kissed the corner of his mouth, "I hope you are aware that I still so not regret gifting you with _d'aulle nitney_ , _dy iliuni._ "

Robin shook his head, "I don't think I'm worthy of that name, Starfire."

She put a hand to his cheek, "Richard, you have protected me in times of trouble, cared for me during hardships, and have led me through many battles to victory. When I am frightened, it is you who gives me strength."

Robin caught her lips and pulled her into him by her waist, her hands wove into his hair,

"I love you, Starfire."

She kissed his nose, "and I, you, Richard."

He captured her lips again, feeling a familiar need for her, he deepened the kiss.

She complied instantly and allowed him to lower her onto the bed.

Her gorget clattered to the floor.

###

Starfire exited the ship first, her teammates close behind. The air was hot, thick. Robin coughed. Starfire turned to her team, "you will need to hydrate often. Okaara is not known to be kind to outsiders."

Wildfire shot from the ship, flying quickly through the air, Blackfire on his tail.

Starfire giggled at her siblings' antics, "Brother, Sister, do not stray far. And please be cautious!"

Starfire arched her back like a feline and began to give her friends the tour. The titan's were astounded at the sights around them. Raven found her voice first, "I had no idea Okaara was a planet."

Starfire turned to her, "yes, it is a planet dedicated to training. Since it was targeted, however, the training occurs on Tamaran. Okaara is now deserted."

Cyborg shook his head, "The Citadel did a number on this place, didn't it?"  
Starfire nodded, "I am unable to show your the area of our flight training. It was decimated. As was the area of my training for acrobatics…"

Robin inwardly cursed. He had been drooling at the thought of seeing his girlfriend flip and weave through a gymnastics-specific course.

Starfire smiled at her friends, "however, the combat area was luckily mostly undamaged."

She intertwined her hands behind her back and walked into an area that looked like a colosseum. Wildfire and Blackfire finally landed back by her side.

"No one else is here, and there's no explosives or anything left over. We're safe." Blackfire's words were directed at Starfire, but her eyes were surveying the arena surrounding them with nostalgia in her eyes, "it's been a long time, hasn't it Sister?"

Starfire nodded, "yes." She looked to her friends, "this is the arena where we learned weapons, the 'hand to hand' combat occurred in an arena that was much smaller."

Wildfire leapt on to Cyborg's back. Cyborg jumped in surprise but allowed it. Wildfire uttered a childish laugh, "I bet there's still some of your blood staining the combat arena, Kori."

Starfire put a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at her brother.

He laughed again, "Kom, your pride has to be in there somewhere as well!"

Blackfire fired a gentle star bolt at him mumbled to himself and slid from Cyborg's back. He hid himself behind Starfire and continued cursing under his breath. Starfire shook her head, "Sister, what is it you desire to do first?"

A wicked smile spread across Blackfire's face, "I say we train your friends."

Beastboy whooped, "you mean we're going to be Tamaranean warriors?"

Blackfire smiled at the changeling, "I'm afraid not, to be a Okaarean trained Tamaranean warrior you must study three years at Okaara, master a weapon, and master a skill."

Raven raised an eyebrow, "are all of you the 'fully trained Tamaranean warriors'?"

Wildfire looked at the ground, "no, I am not. Kom is… Kori is beyond."

Starfire giggled. Cyborg guffawed, "what?"

Blackfire eyed Starfire, "how much do they know about your training?"

Starfire tilted her head, "I have told them of the _rõhupuntiden,_ they have seen my acrobatics, and my combat… I have used a bow and arrow once in Robin's presence… I do not recall anything else."

Blackfire chuckled and looked to the titans, "Kori has always been a strong flyer, even before we were given our energy excess. She trained in flight, and combat during flight. She's also mastered two weapons, seven forms of hand-to-hand combat, the _rõhupuntiden,_ acrobatics, and tracking. That's just her physical training. She knows a lot of ancient languages."  
Cyborg held up his hands, "now hold on, when you came to Earth, you said you were the better fighter."

Blackfire's eyes widened for a moment. Starfire spoke for her, "she is in many ways. On Okaara, your objective is to destroy your opponent. My objective was to disarm, or render them unconscious."

Blackfire chimed in, "rapid fights are another objective, because Kori constantly holds back, her fights were often drawn out."

Starfire smiled at her sister, "she has also acquired training form all over due to her travels."

Beastboy raised his eyebrow, "so you're saying that you're the better fighter but Star's more skilled?"

Blackfire chuckled, "essentially."

Beastboy rubbed his temples, "my head hurts."

Raven looked at him, "I think I get it. Starfire's 'warrior mode' is tame for a Tamaranean. To be a good fighter on Tamaran, you have to be ruthless…."

Robin smiled at his girlfriend, "and that's just not Star."

Starfire beamed at him.

Wildfire groaned, "I thought we were coming here to fight."

Blackfire put her hand on her hip, "fine, we'll fight."

Wildfire shook his head, "no. Not you. Robin?"

Robin's head snapped to the Tamaranean, "umm, me?"

He nodded, "Kori told me you are pretty talented. I want to judge that for myself."

Robin grinned wickedly, remembering some of the things Starfire had told him about Wildfire's fighting, "sounds fair to me."

Starfire handed Robin a water bottled and stared her brother down, "no weapons, no star bolts and no _rhytomavk._ Robin cannot fly, you are not to lift him more than ten feet from the ground, Ryand'r."

Robin huffed at her, "I can handle myself, Star."

Starfire smiled at him, "I know you can, _dy iliuni,_ but Ryand'r is well known for dropping flightless opponents from great heights without mercy. I am simply doing the 'laying of the law'."

Robin chuckled, nervousness washing over him.

Cyborg clicked his tongue, "I'm gettin' a call from Bee. Y'all go get started. I'll meet you guys, go sit down."

Starfire bit her lip and kissed Robin's cheek, "are you certain you wish to do this?"  
Robin gave her a crooked smile, "no."

###

Robin was in the middle of the arena, crouched low. Wildfire stood with a cocky smile on his face. He flexed his fingers. Starfire had told Robin that her brother relied heavily on his strength, throwing devastatingly painful punches, he did not often kick. She had said once that he wasn't the fastest of fighters, and that he often did not think his actions through. Robin just had to avoid his punches and search him for flaws or patterns.

"whenever you are ready, Robin." Wildfire still had a smirk upon his face.

Robin grinned wickedly, "do you say go, or do I?"

Wildfire roared and charged him. Robin flipped over the Tamaranean's shoulder and kicked his back, knocking him to the ground.

Wildfire spat dirt from his mouth and glared at the boy wonder, "I guess this will be a little longer than I thought."

Robin cracked his knuckles, "much."

Robin charged and slid between Wildfire's legs, sweeping them out from under him. He growled and rose again, frantically punching and lashing out at Robin.

Starfire had been right about Wildfire's lag during combat. Robin had ample time between each punch to dodge, and to evaluate his form. During a high punch, Robin shifted and kicked Wildfire's stomach. He was flung across the gravel of the arena. Scratches were evident on his arms and lags, there was a rip in his suit and a small cut on his lip.

But Wildfire's eyes were no longer on him, he followed Wildfire's line of vision to his girlfriend. Starfire wrung her hands in a way that looked painful. The other titans had a mix of concern and fury on their faces, while Blackfire was radiating flames.

Robin and Wildfire ran over to the others.

Robin spoke first, "what's going on?"

Raven shook her head.

Robin took Starfire's hands, attempting to calm her, "Star?"

Cyborg's face was dark, "it's Slade, he escaped."


	23. Chapter 23

_Let's see if I can get this one up on Friday. Next week I will be unreachable so I'm going to try to finish this story so you guys don't have to wait a week for an update! :)_

 _Thank you guys for all your support and everything!_

 _(this isn't the last chapter! I have a lot more to write, just not long to do it!)  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Galfore sat back and watched Robin pace. Starfire was wringing her hands and watching Robin with sadness, "Robin, you must calm down."

Robin shook his head vigorously, "I shouldn't have released him to the police, I should have kept him and interrogated him myself."

Starfire rose and approached him, "Robin, we needed to come to Tamaran… It is not your fault."

Robin turned to Starfire, anger on his face. He snarled at her, "Starfire, he was right. I let emotions get in the way. I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't have done any of this."

She looked as if he had burned her, "Robin, please-"

Galfore boomed, "you will not use such a tone at the princess."

Starfire turned to him, "Galfore, it is alright, please."

Galfore shook his head, "you are allies, you fight together, you must not fight each other. Slade. This is the man that was after your _d'aulle nitney,_ yes? And imprisoned your siblings? He is free?"

Starfire nodded, "yes. If we must leave and go after him I ask that Kom and Ryand'r remain on Tamaran, please, Galfore."

Galfore chuckled, "they will not like that."

Starfire nodded, "I am aware. I am sure when they awaken and we are gone they will be most upset… I believe Slade will be counting on their presence."

Galore nodded, "will he be executed?"

The titans sucked in a surprised breath, but Starfire shook her head,

"that is not how things are done on Earth, Galfore. He will be imprisoned."

Galfore shook his head, "how much do you know about the _d'aulle nitney,_ Koriand'r?"

Starfire tilted her head, "I am still learning."

Galfore's faced turned grim, he began speaking in Tamaranean.

Starfire's face turned to horror, but Galfore continued.

Starfire shook her head, "but how could he know this?"  
Galfore rubbed his temples with his hand, "Kom, she did not wish to frighten you. The book she had given to you. She retrieved from being scavenged… Slade asked her for it."

Robin looked between the two, "what's he talking about, Star?"

Starfire shook her head, "he infiltrated our home to obtain blood."

Galfore exhaled and put his forehead in his hand, " _X'hal…_ princess. I am adamant you remain on Tamaran."

Robin's eyes widened, "Star?" His voice cracked with fear.

Starfire turned and offered him a small smile, " _dy iliuni,_ it is alright. You are aware I cannot remain on Tamaran."

Robin's shoulder's slumped, she had forgiven him so quickly, "Star, I'm-"

She nodded, "I know."

Galfore looked between the two, "Koriand'r."  
Starfire realized her mistake, "Galfore, please. It is not the time."

Galfore stood and spat strings of Tamaranean at Starfire, the titans could only recognize ' _d'aulle nitney'_ and some Tamaranean curses.

Starfire's voice was gentle when she replied in her native tongue. Galfore sighed, shook his head, and spoke again.

Starfire noticed her friends confused faces, "Robin having my _d'aulle nitney_ does nothing to stop Slade. He can create his own."

Robin sucked in a breath. Raven's eyes widened, "what how?"

Starfire looked each of her friends in the eyes, "I am unsure you would wish to know."

Robin saw the fear in her eyes, he grabbed her hands and brought her into a hug, "Galfore how?"

Galfore stared at the couple, "he could lock her away from any light until she either submits or perishes. If she submits, he would just need _solardium_ to make a new _d'aulle nitney_."

Robin squeezed her tighter, rubbing the back of her head, "we can't go home until we have a proper plan. I doubt Slade will wait for us to come to him. If we go back to jump-"

"He'll just break in again. And probably take, Star." Cyborg finished his thought and began typing on his arm console, "I'm sending a message to Titan's East now."

Beastboy shook his head, "Star can die without sun?"

Robin nodded at him still clinging to his shaking girlfriend, "she told me about this, it's…"

Galfore finished for him, "it is a fate worse than any other. It is the worst form of torture for a Tamaranean."

Raven's knees shook, she clung to Beastboy. His arms came around her instantly.

Galfore sighed, "it is very late. I recommend staying here for the night, whatever your decision is."

Robin nodded, he released Starfire but took her by her waist to lead her out of the room.

She snuggled into his shoulder. She had not known that she and her team were in so much danger. Galfore had told her that Slade may not stop, ever. She clung to Robin tighter, maybe leaving the titans was the only way to keep them safe.

The titans continued down the hall, clinging to one another. Starfire felt Raven's cool hand intertwine with hers,

"no, Starfire." Raven's voice was gentle, but commanding.

Robin looked between the two, "what?"

Raven shook her head. Choosing to walk in silence again, she did not release her friend's hand.

They arrived at Beastboy and Cyborg's room first.

Beastboy untangled himself from Raven and squeezed her other hand, he looked at Starfire, "you know we won't let anything happen to you, Star/"

Cyborg nodded, "yeah, Star. We're gonna be ready for him. Big time."

Starfire smiled at both of them, Cyborg kissed the top of her head.

Beastboy morphed and crawled across her shoulders as a cat, rubbing and purring against her face for a moment before he leapt onto Cyborg.

"Aww man. B. I don't like **you** touching me." Cyborg dropped the cat in the doorway and entered, "and don't you go shedding on my shit!"

The door closed gently, but Starfire could still hear Cyborg yelling at their friend inside. Robin shook his head and continued walking down the hall. Raven released Starfire's hand and spoke, "I'm this way, you try to get some sleep." Raven kissed Starfire's cheek. She then glared toward Robin, she placed herself centimeters from his face, "and you, if you ever yell at her again, you'll see what a half-demon can really do."

Robin swallowed, "I'm sorry."

Raven shook her head, "no, you will be."

"Raven," Starfire placed a hand on her shoulder, "Raven it is alright."

Raven shook her head, "just because you're forgiving doesn't mean that I am."

Starfire offered her a small smile, "Raven." She opened her arms, and Raven hugged her tightly. Starfire spoke to her gently, "I will not be leaving, Raven. I could not abandon you on… what did you name it?"

Raven laughed, " the 'Island of Misfit Boys'."

Robin huffed, "hey!"

Raven shrugged, "would you rather me tear your throat out?"  
Robin quickly shook his head.

Raven smirked and held Starfire tighter.

###

Robin stretched. In a way he was happy that Galore knew. He didn't have to sneak into Starfire's room anymore. He knocked on the door, he waited for a few moments, then knocked again, "Starfire?"

The door opened slightly, Starfire whispered to him, "I was hoping perhaps you had fallen asleep. Galfore wishes to speak with us."

Robin furrowed his brow, then remembered. She had told him about this before. Tamaranean traditions.

Galfore's voice boomed, "Koriand'r, is your _t'auerata_ going to join us?"

Robin entered, "yes, I'm sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck.

Galfore sighed, "perhaps you will be more willing to divulge information."

"Galfore," Starfire's voice sounded exhausted, "please, Galfore, we will be off of Tamaran very soon."

Galfore shook his head, "I'm afraid I cannot allow this, Koriand'r. There are rules, especially for the royal off spring."

Robin looked over at Starfire, her shoulders were slumped and her eyes were drooped, they had been at this for a while. Robin felt his stomach drop, he had left her to fend for herself.

Galfore cleared his throat, "what are your affections?"

Starfire shook her head, but Robin spoke, "I love her."

Galfore looked between the couple, "what is this love?"

Robin's eyes widened. Starfire offered him a gentle smile, "love is strong affection."

Galfore nodded, and mumbled something in Tamaranean.

Starfire instantly stood, "no, Galfore. That is not how it is done."

Robin shot her a questioning look, but said nothing.

"Koriand'r, my hands are bound on this." Galfore shook his head.

Starfire bit her lip, "Earth is my home, Galfore, I choose to live by Earthen traditions."

Galfore smiled sadly, "I'm still adamant that you should be joined."

Starfire shook her head, "we may later in our life, if we so choose."

Galfore sighed and walked toward the door, "I must insist that we discuss this after this Slade is dealt with."

Starfire put her head in her hands, "I am looking forward to it."

The door slammed and Robin wrapped his arms around Starfire, "you are just having a rough night… day…" She raised an eyebrow at him and he continued, "week."

A small smile spread across her face, "it is not bad. It seems we have another reason to visit Tamaran…"

Robin rubbed her arms and smiled, "always seeing the bright side. Galore was pushing marriage?"

Starfire nodded, "he is most insistent, I am sorry."

Robin chuckled, "you don't have to apologize."

Starfire leaned into his neck, "I am unsure what to do."

Robin shook his head, "you don't have to figure that out now."

Starfire shook her head, "I am speaking about Slade."

Robin pulled Starfire into him so her legs were across his lap, "what do you mean?"

"Galfore does not believe he will stop." Starfire nuzzled back into him, "what are we to do, Richard."

Robin kissed the top of her head, "I'm not sure, Star. I've never really dealt with some one like this by-"

Robin stiffened and sighed.

"Richard, are you alright?" Starfire placed a hand on his cheek.

Robin offered her a shaky smile, "there's an option."

Starfire tilted her head, "what is it, Richard?"

Robin collapsed onto the bed, taking Starfire with him, "we go to Gotham."

He looked Starfire in the eyes, "we go see Batman."


	24. Chapter 24

_Alright, I put a trigger warning on this story. I apologize for anyone that this effected. I did not mean to put anyone into that position. I hope I can be forgiven._

Starfire bit her lip. Cyborg had made them emergency disguises for the surprise trip to Gotham. Starfire pinched a ring between her fingers.

Robin put his arm around her waist, "it's okay, Star. It's just for if we need to go undercover."

Raven's rings were still on the table, "Cyborg, we just put these on and put them together?"

Cyborg nodded and demonstrated, skin appearing over his robotic parts, "it's just like when I went undercover at the H.I.V.E."

Beastboy smiled, "I'll try it!" He put his on and hit them together. His green skin vanished and was replaced with a tan shade. His hair was now dark brown, his ears rounded out on the top. He looked at himself in the mirror. His smiling face fell, "I look normal… this is so weird. I don't look like myself."

Raven put a hand on his shoulder, sensing distress, "are you okay?"

Beastboy nodded, "I just forgot what I looked like before I had my DNA messed with… you know?"

Raven sighed and removed her hand. She reached for her rings, and placed them on her fingers, she gently knocked them together. A strange buzzing sensation radiated across her body. She looked toward the mirror, her eyes were still blue, her hair was still the same length, but it was dark brown, almost black. Her pale skin had been replaced by a tone similar to Robin's. She sighed, it was strange to look into a mirror and seem someone other than her true self.

Starfire smiled warmly at Raven, "if it is any consolation, Raven, you are still full of beauty."

Raven blushed, and gently hit Starfire's arm, "hush, it's your turn."

Starfire sighed and nodded, placing the rings on her fingers, she wrung her hands than pressed the rings together. The golden hue of her skin instantly dimmed, and her eyes lost their intensity, becoming white around the irises, her eyebrows lengthened, and her hair seemed to lose some of its vibrancy. Starfire looked into the mirror and cocked her head, unsure of what she saw before her.

Cyborg clapped his hands together, "alright, so what are our aliases? I'm gonna go with Victor."

Raven shrugged, "you guys call me Rae behindd my back anyway. I'll just go with that."

Beastboy made a noise of resentment, "aww that means I have to go by Garfield, doesn't it?"

They looked to Starfire, who began to wring her hands again, "I am unsure, I have not truly had a name that is the 'normal' by Earthen standard."

Robin out his arm around her waist, "you can just go by Kori, if you want."

Starfire nodded.

Cyborg crossed his arms at the boy wonder, "and what are you gonna do?"

Robin gave him a disbelieving look, "take off my mask."

Beastboy looked as though he would pass out.

Raven looked between Robin and Starfire, "you would do that?"

Robin nodded, "I trust you guys, and it's necessary. We're going to where I grew up. If Robin was staying at Wayne manor, it would be suspicious, but if Richard Grayson brought his friends home to Gotham it would be-"

"Richard Grayson? That means… Batman is…" Beastly was stroking his chin.

Cyborg chuckled, "how long do you think it will take him?"

Raven rolled her eyes, "Bruce Wayne is Batman?"

Robin nodded, "I told him we were coming. He's a little uncomfortable. So that means best behavior, alright?"

The titans nodded.

There was a soft knock at the door, "Kori?"

Blackfire's voice was soft, solemn.

Starfire removed her rings and opened the door, "Sister, Brother. I am happy that I was able to see you before we-"

Starfire was interrupted by Wildfire pulling her into a deep hug, she wrapped her arms around her brother and held fast to him, "I will be returning after these matters are dealt with. I swear to you."

Wildfire released her and Blackfire grabbed her next, "I don't see why we can't help you…"

Starfire hugged her tightly, "we are seeking help from Robin's guardian. He will provide the assistance we require. Both of you are needed her on Tamaran."

Blackfire released her sister and stepped back, "the people will be distraught to hear you have gone."

Starfire offered a gentle smile, "I will be back."

Cyborg tugged on Starfire's arm, he had taken off his rings as well, "Star, the ship's ready we gotta go."

Starfire nodded, "I shall see you both soon. Please take care."

She watched her siblings walk away, sad to have to leave them so soon. She went onto the large balcony where the ship was preparing to leave. She took one last look at Tamaran before she boarded. She placed her rings on her fingers again, becoming Kori once more.

Robin grabbed her hand and kissed her cheek. He gave her a bag containing some civilian clothes. Starfire smiled and accepted the bag. She began to walk into the other wing to change, but she stopped to star out the window, watching the shrinking planet she once called home vanish behind her.

###

Bruce had set up the Batcave to Store the titan's ship. They flew under a waterfall only to find a landing dock lit and expecting them. Cyborg whistled, "I didn't realize it was Christmas." He gestured to the blinking lights with his head.

Robin chuckled, "Bruce lives to impress."

Starfire pulled up her hair into a bun then adjusted her shirt. Robin had gotten her a black v-neck loose shirt, with black leggings, and a green heathered, zip-up drawstring hoodie. It was not uncomfortable by any means, it was just different. Raven had felt a similar way about her clothing, she was given a black turtleneck and jeans. She looked beautiful as always, but very different. Cyborg just wore a grey sweatshirt and black pants. Beastboy, much to the team's embarrassment, wore the Batman t-shirt he had brought to Tamaran to wear as Pjs with jeans. Raven had mumbled something about being lucky he put on pants at all. Robin's attire was somewhat similar to Starfire's, he wore a v neck as well, but it was tighter, with a red jacket and jeans. He wore no mask. The team had been so surprised when he had actually removed it. Starfire could see the honor they felt as well, not many people were trusted with Robin's secret identity.

Cyborg landed the ship professionally, attempting to show off a bit himself. The bay door opened, and the dark cave that surrounded them was fully revealed. Starfire clung to Robin's arm as she looked around. It was dimly lit, as she had expected. She heard footsteps approaching and quickly released Robin as not to embarrass him by looking weak. She looked towards the noise. Robin raised an eyebrow at her, after a minute he heard the sounds of footsteps as well and stepped from the ship,

"I'm surprised you didn't set off the alarm on us, just to keep us on our toes." Starfire raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend's sass, but stayed silent.

A deep chuckled erupted from the man appearing before them, "there's still time."

He looked like a normal civilian, he had dark hair and dark eyes, he dressed very formal. Starfire thought it strange that he would dress as so just for their arrival, she then remembered Robin saying that Bruce was rich beyond belief. Bruce's eyes fell onto her and her friends,

"So these are the Titans?" Starfire cocked her head at the unimpressed tone in his voice.

Robin nodded and gestures to them, "yeah, that's Cyborg, Beastboy, Starfire, and Raven."

Bruce nodded, "and what are their aliases?"

Cyborg stepped forward, "I'm going by Victor, Beastboy is going by Garfield, Raven as Rae, and Starfire as Kori."

Bruce raised an eyebrow and gestures for the team to follow him, "it's pretty late, Alfred will escort you to your rooms. Dick, I would like to speak with you."

Starfire watched as Robin was lead away from her and the rest of the team. A man with white hair approached them,

"Hello Mr. Garfield, Mr. Cyborg, Miss Raven and Miss Starfire, I am Alfred. I welcome you to Gotham. Please, allow me to show you to your rooms."

Starfire smiled at this man. He was more open than Bruce and much more welcoming. They began to follow Alfred up a flight of elegant stairs,

"Mr. Alfred, your home is most beautiful." Starfire eyed the large chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling.

A gentle chuckle emitted from Alfred, "this is Mr. Wayne's home, Miss Starfire. However, I thank you none the less. I work hard to keep it so clean." He smiled at her warmly and they continued up the stairs, "and you need not call me 'mister.' Alfred will suffice."

Starfire nodded, "I apologize, Alfred, I had believed that the titles of 'mister' and 'mistress' were required."

Alfred stopped at a door, "Mr. Cyborg this is for you. Your charging station is located in the left corner." He looked again at Starfire, his warm smile still in place, "I use those titles to show respect." He began to lead them further into the hall,

"I wish to demonstrate respect to you as well, Mr. Alfred." Starfire tilted her head.

Alfred cocked his head at the girl, "Miss Starfire, I am merely the butler."

Raven shook her head, "it's no use. She's not going to treat you any differently than she treats us."

A strange look spread across Alfred's face and Beastboy laughed, "we're here for ten minutes and Star is harassing Alfred already."

A look of horror spread across Starfire's face, and she put a gentle hand on Alfred's arm, "I am harassing you, Mr. Alfred. I apologize profusely."

Alfred patted her hand gently, "you aren't harassing me at all, Miss Starfire, quite the opposite. You are very kind. Now may I show you three to your rooms?"

###

Starfire tossed and turned in her overly lavish bed. She looked at the clock again. Robin had not come into her room as she expected him to. She looked at the door and bit her lip. She did not know where Robin's room was. Wandering around the mansion would probably be frowned upon. Starfire stood from her bed, she was sure that it was well past three thirty, but she could not help it. She exited her room and knocked gently on Raven's door. Starfire decided that if Raven did not answer her door after the first knock, she would go directly to bed again.

Starfire sighed in relief when the door opened. Raven rubbed her eyes, "Star?"

Starfire wrung her hands, "I am very sorry friend Raven, but I am having the troub-"

Raven grabbed Starfire's hand and pulled her into the room, closing the door softly behind her,

"I thought it was a little too… everything here myself." Raven offered a gentle smile, "tomorrow though, it's back in your own bed."

Starfire nodded her head vigorously and sat on the bed, "yes Raven, I apologize for waking you."

Raven bit her lip, "actually, I wasn't sleeping."

Starfire cocked her head, "are you alright Raven?"  
Raven sighed, "I have two pieces of news, one I think you'll like, the other… well, you won't. Good news or bad news first?"  
Starfire stifled a yawn, "whichever you desire to tell first."

Raven sighed, "okay good news first it is. Beastboy asked me out on a date."

Raven slapped her hand over Starfire's mouth to stifle her squeal of delight, "Oh! Raven, when did he ask you? How did he ask you?"

Raven laughed lightly, "when he came into my room back on Tamaran, he just asked me."

Starfire giggled, "oh that is most wonderful news! You replied with a yes, correct?"  
Raven nodded, "yeah." Her smile fell, 'now the bad news."

Starfire nodded, Raven's expression was worrying her.

"Star, I wanted water, so I headed towards the bathroom.. I felt Robin, and he was feeling distressed, so I checked in on him… he was talking with Bruce… Bruce knows about you two… and he doesn't approve… at all. He really gave Robin a hard time."

Starfire looked down, "Bruce does not like me?"

Raven rubbed Starfire's arm, "Star, it's okay. He hasn't even really met you yet. You'll win him over. You're impossible not to like."

Starfire nodded, but there was nothing behind it.

Raven sighed, "I'm sorry. You want to talk more about it."

Starfire shook her head and laid down.

Raven did the same but faced Starfire, grabbing her hands, "Star, Bruce will end up just like all of us. Head over heels for you, and willing to do anything for you."

Starfire blinked away tears, "I thank you Raven."

"Goodnight, Star."

Neither let go of the other's hands.

Starfire awoke to an empty bed. Raven had probably gotten up to meditate. Starfire sighed and rose out of bed with a pit in her stomach. She sighed, she was still in Robin's t-shirt. Going down to breakfast in this would be inappropriate. She traveled to her room and changed into tight sweatpants and a navy blue v neck. she left her hair up in her messy bun. She headed to the bathroom, splashing water on her face before she went downstairs. She didn't want anyone but Raven to know that she had been crying.

There was an amazing smell emitting from the kitchen and Starfire's empty stomach encouraged her to investigate. Bruce, Raven, and Cyborg were sitting at the table in silence. Bruce was reading the news paper while her friends sat and drank their beverages in silence. Raven smiled at Starfire when she saw her,

"Hey, Star, would you like some tea?"

Bruce lowered his paper and eyed the girl, but then returned to reading,

"I believe I would like the coffee, if that is alright?"

Alfred appeared with a cup and the pot in a moment, "of course it is alright, Miss Starfire. Would you like cream or sugar."

Starfire shook her head, "no thank you, I prefer my coffee dark, thank you."

Alfred smiled at her, "Mr. Wayne, and Mr. Grayson prefer theirs the same."

Bruce lowed his paper, "what are you saying, Alfred?"

Alfred's smiled faltered slightly, "just that I am used to such a taste."

Bruce put down his paper and sighed, "I talked to Richard and we've decided it would be best for you all to train with me. This Slade seems like more trouble than you guys can handle. Dick should've come to me sooner about this."

Starfire fought her frustration. Cyborg spoke, "we had him, but he escaped police."

Bruce raised an eyebrow, "he still escaped in your city. It falls on you."

Cyborg's eyes widened, but he let it go, "so are we going to spar with you before we train or-"

"we're sparring first. I need to get a feel for your strength and weaknesses."

Cyborg nodded.

Robin entered the room and sat next to Cyborg. Alfred instantly brought him a coffee,

"breakfast should be ready in a moment. Shall I wake Mr. Garfield?"

Cyborg stood, "no, I got it." He had a mischievous smile on his face as he ascended the stairs.

Bruce sighed, "I told your team about training today."

Robin glared at him from the corner of his eye, "great."

Starfire tilted her head at him. He finally looked at her in the face, knowing he'd understand she mouthed, 'are you alright?'

He just shook his head. Bruce spoke again, "I think we should start right after breakfast. Does your team have clothing they can use to spar in?"

Robin nodded, "we were going to do some training on Tamaran. So Star and I have clothes to train in. Cyborg has his built in, and Beastboy just fights in his uniform."

Bruce's eyes fell to Raven, "and you?"

Raven gave him a sidelong glance, "I don't spar like you."

Bruce huffed, he was about to speak when Beastboy and Cyborg came down the stairs.

"You didn't have you shock me awake, Cy! I'm not that heavy of a sleeper." Beastboy was rubbing a spot on his side.

Cyborg chuckled, "then next time, wake up when I knock on your door!"

They took their seats and Alfred returned with breakfast. Starfire's eyes widened at the many options the team was being offered, she decided to just take a bowl of fruit, the tension around the table was tying her stomach into knots.

They ate in silence. Cyborg and Beastboy had tried to lighten the mood, but after three attempts with no avail, they gave up. It wasn't worth the glares from Bruce. When breakfest was finished, they dispersed, Raven followed Starfire into her room,

"well that was fun." Raven snorted at her own sarcasm, she held her hand to her eyes when Starfire began to change,

"Bruce is most serious, yes?" Starfire tried not to think about the distance Robin had placed between them at the table, or the fact that he hadn't slept with her the night before.

Starfire slipped her shorts on and cleared her throat, signaling that she was finished, she put her hair into a dancer's bun to keep it out of her eyes, then stared at Raven intently.

Raven removed her hand, "I'm getting the strange feeling that Bruce doesn't like us."

Starfire furrowed her brows, but he has not truly met us yet."

Raven nodded, "I know… I have a feeling he isn't going to hold anything back during sparring. I'm probably going to need some ice packs… How do you plan on fighting him?"  
Starfire tilted her head, "from a distance. Bruce has probably heard more about my star bolts, he will probably be wishing to see them in combat."

Raven nodded, "c'mon. We shouldn't keep Bruce waiting."

###

Starfire clenched her fists as Cyborg took another hit. IT seemed as thought Bruce was being excessively cruel. Starfire could feel her anger building.

"Your legs are clearly your weak spots, it's easy to knock you down." Bruce demonstrated this, and Cyborg hit the ground hard.

Bruce's criticisms had been more like insults, he had not given any constructive information at all to Cyborg so far. He told him his mistakes but never an option of how to fix them.

Not even the strictest of Okaarean trainers treated students like this. Raven's cool hand grasped Starfire's hand. She whispered in her ear, "careful, Star. I can feel you radiating energy from here."

Starfire took a breath to calm herself and offered Raven a smile. She looked over at Robin, he had sat near Beastboy, distancing himself from her once again. Robin was glaring at his mentor, obviously feeling very similar to Starfire.

Cyborg hit the ground again, and Starfire's head snapped back to the spar.

Cyborg panted, "I'm done. You win."

Bruce shook his head, "it's not about winning, go get a water. Beastboy, you're next."

Starfire felt Raven tense as Beastboy replaced Cyborg on the floor. He crouched and awaited Bruce's first move. Bruce moved quickly and landed a punch into Beastboy's ribs. He flew into the wall and hit the ground. Starfire linked her arms with Raven and whispered into her ear, "he will be alright, yes?"

Raven looked over at her, fear in her eyes, "Bruce really isn't holding back anything. Whatever anger he has in him, he's taking out on us."

Cyborg took his seat beside Starfire, scanning his systems for damages, "B's getting wrecked."

Starfire turned her attention to the spar once again. Beastboy was indeed losing. No matter what he shifted into, Bruce was always quicker. If Starfire had liked Bruce more, she would have definitely been impressed, but he was intentionally hurting her friends, she could feel the heat of her energy course through her body again.

"You are the weakest in combat amongst your team aren't you?" Bruce's voice was cold.

Beastboy wiped his bloody nose on his sleeve and spoke, "I fight in my animal forms. I never really learned hand to hand combat."

Raven stood and brought Beastly a towel, she inspected his nose, "it's not broken. Do you want me to stop the bleeding?" Beastboy nodded and Raven placed a glowing hand on his face. Beastboy wiped the last of his blood up and smiled at her, "thanks."

"Raven you're next."

Raven smiled at Beastboy, then took stood in front of Bruce, "am I allowed to tear this place apart?"

Bruce looked shocked for a moment, then reverted back to an emotionless expression, "I would prefer you to not."

Raven smirked and sent the bench that sat vacant flying at Bruce's back. He avoided it at the last second, fear in his eyes. Starfire smirked, of course Raven would teach him a lesson. Cyborg chucked beside her, "leave it to Raven to get protective of her friends, huh?"  
Starfire giggled, "Bruce should not have been so hard on you two, now he must deal with us. Are you both undamaged?"

Beastboy had taken Raven's spot beside Starfire, "I'm alright now. My ribs hurt, but I can wait to be healed."

"I'm fine too. I have self repairs going right now." Cyborg hit a few buttons on his arm.

Starfire was about to speak again when she hurt Raven grunt.

Bruce had kicked her into a wall, and now had her pinned with her arms behind her back and his knee digging into her spine, "you're defense is weak. It was easy to get around. You rely too much on your powers."

Raven's expression was that of pain. Starfire's energy flew throughout her veins, her eyes dilated. She stood instantly. She felt the eyes of her team, and Bruce on her. She looked into Bruce's eyes with intense anger, "I will do the subbing in for Raven. If you do not mind."

Her voice was dangerously emotionless. Robin sucked in a breath, while Cyborg and Beastboy sat there with wide eyes.

Bruce nodded with a smirk on his face, "I'm done anyways."

Starfire helped Raven to her feet. She quickly inspected her for damage. Raven smiled at her, "I'm okay."

Starfire nodded briskly and crouched in front of Bruce, "you may make the first move, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce sent a quick kick her way, which she blocked quickly and twisted, knocking him off balance.

Starfire stood above him, "I believe you have chosen to pursue strength in your legs over balance. That was a mistake. Both are important in order to properly avoid a block."

Bruce's eyes widened, he attempted to sweep her legs out from under her, but she flipped out of the way. He rose and attempted a combination of punches and kicks. Starfire dodged each one. Bruce put excessive force into a kick, which Starfire neatly avoided, and hit the ground.

Starfire offered a hand, "you are overthinking your advances, you must not overanalyze the impacts of each blow. You attack, then you handle the repercussions."

Bruce slapped her hand away, "what are you doing?"  
Starfire cocker her had, "I am demonstrating how to administer the constructive criticism, I believed you to have forgotten."

Starfire heard Robin snort, Bruce stood, "look, I am trying to help you and your friends." His voice was angry, he aimed his punch straight for her face.

Starfire did not move, the world seemed to slow. She heard her friends rise from their seats. Starfire fired two fingers into Bruce's shoulders, his arm fell limply to his side.

The world caught back up with Starfire and she spoke, "hurting someone does not help them."

Bruce stared at his arm, "what did you do?" He looked at Robin, "what did she do?"

Starfire turned his face to hers, "please do not hurt my friends." She slammed her fingers into his shoulder. He moved his fingers, then stared at her,

"how did you do that?" He looked flabbergasted,

"It was taught to me during my training." Starfire cocked her head at him, "I was taught to defend my people…and my friends"

Bruce shook his head, "I was sparring with them. I'm helping them."

Starfire shook her head, "it is not helpful just to tell someone what they do wrong, you must tell them how they can fix it, or show them new ways to defend themselves." Starfire sighed, "I am sorry I attacked you."

Bruce shook his head, "where did you learn to fight like that?"

Starfire tilted her head, "I was trained on a planet called Okaara."

Bruce raised his eyebrows, "and what makes you so sure of your advice?"

Robin stood, "She trained in flight, flight combat, she's mastered two weapons, seven forms of hand-to-hand combat, acrobatics, and the _rõhupuntiden,_ that's that thing she used to disable your arm."

Bruce turned to Robin, his face still expressionless, "I changed my mind, I like her."

Starfire took her seat next to Raven who linked arms with her immediately. Raven was still glaring at Bruce, "Are we done here?"

Bruce turned to her with an eyebrow raised, "yes?"

Raven nodded, "good. We came her for your help to capture a villain, and instead you thought it would be a better idea to expose our weaknesses?"

Starfire rubbed Raven's arm with the hand that wasn't linked. She whispered so only Raven could hear, "Raven, it is alright. Let us go meditate."

Raven nodded and stood, bringing Starfire with her. Cyborg and Beastboy stood with them.

Starfire looked between the two and bit her lip, "we shall let you two speak."

They walked out, leaving an astounded Bruce in their wake.

Bruce shook his head, "they're very emotional."

Robin glared at him, "they're very right. What the hell was that?"

Bruce raised an eyebrow, "you didn't say anything to stop me."

Robin huffed, "you wouldn't have listened to me. Plus I can't kick your ass, Star can."

"I thought you said she fought from a distance." Bruce looked to the door where she had been standing moments ago.

"She did with us until recently." Robin sighed, feeling guilty for avoiding her, "we just found out that she could do all that."

Bruce exhaled, "I still don't approve of teammates dating, but she's tougher than I thought she was."

Robin shook his head, "she's the one that took down Slade the first time. When I was forced to be Slade's apprentice, and the team showed up to save me, she fired the first shot at him. She doesn't really even fear much."

Bruce cracked his knuckles, "she holds back."

Robin chuckled, "trust me, that's a good thing."

"How?"

Robin smirked at his mentor, "if she didn't, you'd be dead."

"Dick." His tone was warning.

Robin began walking towards the door, "she wouldn't ever harm anyone on Earth."

"Can you be sure?" Bruce seemed to be attempting to think of a way to defeat her if necessary.

"Yes." Robin twisted the knob in his hand.

"Where are you going?" Bruce's voiced sounded hurt.

Robin sighed, "I'm going to go beg Starfire to forgive me. I'd recommend apologizing to the team when you get the chance."

Bruce cleared his throat, "to get on their good side?"

Robin shook his head, "because you owe them one."

Robin closed the door behind him.


	25. Chapter 25

_I'm so sorry guys! I hurt my wrist and haven't really been able to write or type (oops, I had tests too) so I screwed myself over. I'm so sorry for the wait, and_ _thank you guys for all the amazingly nice stuff you say, especially_

 _BELLA X STARFIRE7745231_

 _Neo-Queen Serenity 13_

 _CKhybrid_

 _and_

 _kinkyasf_

 _You guys are all amazing._

Heat was still radiating off of Starfire. She was still so angry. Bruce had treated her friends so terribly, and Robin had done nothing to stop it. Raven had sat with her for a while, but she requested alone time, and Raven begrudgingly, allowed it. She was now regretting this decision, as her emotions were growing out of control again. She tossed some of her clothes back into her bag. Starfire flinched when she heard a knock at the door. She had expected this, she had been very rude to Bruce. She bit her lip and answered the door,

"I should've known that if I didn't say something, you would have." Robin was chuckling.

Starfire cocked her head, she had expected yelling. He had been avoiding her, he had allowed his team to be treated poorly, and now, he was acting as if none of this had been done.

"Bruce was most disrespectful, however, I was as well. I apologize." Starfire walked away from her door, she left it open so Robin could decide whether he wanted to come in or not.

He did enter, and he closed the door behind him, "Star, no. Don't apologize. I'm sorry. He was so… callous. I should've stopped him."

Starfire sighed, "yes, Richard, you should have, that is your duty. You are our leader, we depend on you to defend us in situations such as these… I understand that Bruce is you _k'norfka_ but that was a most unpleasant experience…"

Robin raised an eyebrow at her, "what are you doing?"

Starfire shook her head and bit her lip.

"Star?" he grabbed her arm and pulled her to sit on the bed with him, "Star, are you packing?"

"Richard, I believe perhaps I should return to Tamaran for a time, I believe Slade would refrain from confronting you and our friends if I was absent."

Robin pulled her into him, "what?! No!"

Starfire waited a few moments, then pulled away, "Richard, you must take any personal emotions out of the mix."  
Robin pulled her back into him and shook his head, "my personal emotions are irrelevant right now. We're going to beat him, Star. As long as we're all together, we'll beat him."

Starfire peeled off his mask, "but how can you be sure?"  
Robin shook his head once again, "because we're not going to let anything happen to you, Star."

Starfire sighed and stood, resuming her packing, "I am not concerned with my wellbeing, Richard."

Robin pulled the uniform she was packing out of her hands carefully, "Starfire, stop."

She tilted her head at him, "Richard, I have made up my mind."

Robin's eyes widened, "the training with Bruce.. seeing them lose-"

"It is unimportant, Richard." Starfire wiped away a tear before it could surface.

"Starfire, they won't get hurt. Bruce was being overly rough, he was-"

Starfire turned quickly, "will Slade not be rougher?"

Robin was silent as Starfire continued, "I do not believe Slade will cease fighting once they fall, he has no qualms about killing, Richard. You know this, you have told us this. I mu-"

"She calls you Richard. It's bigger trouble than I thought."

The couple swung towards the door, shocked. Bruce chuckled at their faces.

"I came here to apologize to Starfire. I have apologized to your friends. I'm… sorry for my actions. There was no reason for me to behave that way."

Starfire offered a small emotionless smile, "you are forgiven, Bruce. I apologize as well, I was much harsher than I was required to be."

Bruce chuckled and shook his head, "you have no reason to apologize. I got exactly what I deserved. I kinda wish you would have followed thorough with more of those punches, knock some sense into me sooner."

Starfire shook her head, "my intention was never to harm you, Bruce, merely to 'teach the lesson'."

Bruce smiled, " well, mission accomplished." He gestured to her bag on the bed with his chin, "now what's this about?"

Robin looked at Starfire, she was wringing her hands again. Robin sighed.

"I have decided to part and return home to Tamaran so perhaps Slade will refrain from attacking my friends." Starfire shook her head, "I believe he will either lose interest in me, or attempt to infiltrate Tamaran, and that would not be successful."

Bruce cocked his head, "why?"

Starfire bit her lip, "Tamaran's defense is nearly impenetrable… and he would face should he prevail are…. impressive."

Robin's voice was dark, "you don't fuck with a princess."

Bruce blanched and looked at Robin, who nodded.

Bruce let out a long whistle, "anything else I should know?"

Robin looked up at him, Starfire saw a strange anger on his face, "she could kill you with two fingers and one hit."

Bruce chuckled nervously, "alright. Force to be reckoned with, I got it." His eyes fell on Starfire again, "I don't think you should leave. Even if you think it will help your friends. I can tell you now, it won't."

Starfire shook her head, "but how can you be-"

"He's a maniac, and I've dealt with plenty of those. They don't stop, they can't. Not until they get what they want. He would ambush your team constantly until you came back." Bruce's face was dark, "then he'd probably use you to kill them."

Starfire sat on the bed, fighting back tears. She knew deep down Slade would harm them, even in her absence. She shook her head, "then what are we to do?"

Bruce sighed, "we fight."

###

Starfire stretched again. She, Bruce, and Robin had been training the rest of the team all day. Raven had been progressing very well with the _rõhupuntiden._ Her accuracy was always spot on, but her speed needed work. Starfire could have easily blocked any of Raven's advances with ease. Raven had told Bruce that the _rõhupuntiden_ was the method of self-defense she chose. Starfire was impressed, her dearest friend had done a lot of work and research on her own, and had obviously practiced. She had greatly improved from the morning already.

Cyborg had updated some of his systems for more speed. It was definitely an improvement, but he still relied on his technology and strength the most. He sat plugged into the wall talking to Bruce now. Starfire guessed Bruce was giving more advice. He had become very helpful now. There was still aggression between he and Robin, but the team was in his good graces.

Starfire took another sip of water. She turned to Robin and Beastboy. Robin was trying his best to remain calm, but Starfire could tell that the changling was testing Robin's boundaries. Starfire decided that in a few minutes, she would take over training Beastboy. She had more patience for his antics than Robin.

"I don't think we properly thanked you."

Starfire turned quickly, she had not heard Raven approach her, " _X'hal_ Raven. You wish to thank me? For what?"

Raven smiled slightly at the girl, "for kicking Bruce's ass for us. Telling him off like that. Thanks… it meant a lot to us. We talked about it."

Starfire shook her head, "it is nothing that requires thanks, Raven. You are my friends. No one is permitted to injure my friends."

Raven hugged Starfire. Starfire was shocked at the suddenness, but returned the hugged instantly.

"Starfire, please don't think of leaving us anymore. None of us know what we would do with out you." Raven gripped Starfire tighter.

"I am sorry, Raven. It was not my intention to put you all in such a position." Starfire fought back tears. She had known that her absence would effect her friends, but not to this extent.

Raven released her, Starfire could see the tears beginning in her eyes, "I am sorry I made you feel like this, Raven." She reached over and wiped a tear from her friend's face.

Raven shook her head, "no, the guys are right, I'm going soft."

Starfire giggled, "as long as you are still Raven."

Raven smiled at her.

"BEAST BOY, I'M SERIOUS." Robin's shout seemed to silence the entire room.

The girls turned to see a monkey dangling from the ceiling, and Robin panting angrily.

Raven's eyes were wide, "please go save him."

Starfire nodded and skipped to Robin's side, "friend, are you antagonizing Robin?"

Beastboy dangled from the ceiling, "we've been at this for hours. Training is so boooooring."

Starfire shook her head, "Beastboy." Her tone was gentle, but Beastboy still sighed and came down from the ceiling.

"Fine." The changling began on the punching bag again.

"How did you do that?" Robin was staring at her with an open mouth.

Starfire sighed, "Beastboy is part animal. Animals do not respond well to yelling. They respond to compassion and patience. It is important to understand the difference between commanding them, and being understood by them."

Robin seemed to be in thought, "that explains… a lot actually, thanks."

Starfire nodded and smiled, "anytime. Is there anything else I may assist you with or-"

The door nearest to Robin opened, and Alfred stepped through. He began towards Bruce, but shot Starfire a concerned look.

He sighed, "Master Wayne? There is a crime alert. It's presumed to be Slade. He is robbing the Wayne weapons building."

The titans were tense. Slade was here, Slade came to Gotham. Did he know that they were there? Starfire wrung her hands. If he did, indeed, follow them into Gotham, then he could know Robin's identity. The thought sent shivers down her spine. Robin grabbed one of her hands.

Bruce rubbed his temples, "any idea what he's after?"

Alfred sighed, "no, Master Wayne. I apologize."

Bruce looked to the titans, "right now, I want to believe that he doesn't know you are here. I'll go by myself… and if he knows…"

"If he knows, Raven will transport us there." Robin cut in, but he was eyeing Raven, who nodded at him.

"I'll meditate. It's the best way to make sure I'm ready. Distance makes it harder." Raven retreated to a corner and began to meditate.

Bruce put a hand on Robin's shoulder, any aggression gone, "we're going to get him."

Robin nodded at Bruce.

The titans watched as he left the training room. Robin pulled Starfire into him, "are you alright?"

"I am worried for Bruce." Starfire was still staring at the door.

Robin sighed, "so am I."


	26. Chapter 26

_HELLO! We are nearing the end! :O Oh my, this is going by much faster than expected. Thank you to all of the readers so far! I hope that you've enjoyed reading this! Let's continue!_

 _Warning! This is a loooooooooong chapter! Take a break halfway through and hydrate! And pee!_

Starfire watched Robin pace around the room. Cyborg and Beastboy were watching him as well, with bored expressions on their faces. Raven was still meditating in case Batman found it necessary to call for help.

Starfire sighed, "Mr. Alfred, how long has it been since Bruce departed?"

A sad smile appeared on his face, "it has only been about fifteen minutes, Ms. Starfire."

Starfire sighed again and put her head on her knees.

Cyborg put a hand on her shoulder, "he'll be okay, Star. If he needs us, he'll call."

Starfire nodded, "Richard?" She offered her hand, he stopped and stared at her. He seemed to consider her, before he took her offered hand and she pulled him down gently beside her.

He put his head in his hands.

Starfire bit her lip, she could feel the eyes of the team on them, but she didn't care. She maneuvered herself behind Robin and wrapped her arms and legs around him from behind. She put her chin on his shoulder and whispered into his ear, "what do you wish for us to do?"

Robin sighed relaxing under her touch, he rubbed her arm absently. He rose his face to his team and saw their shocked and slightly uncomfortable expressions. It faded almost as fast as it sounded though, and he clenched his jaw, "I'm not sure, Star. I don't know if Bruce will actually ask for help if he needs it, especially if Slade doesn't know we're here."

Cyborg shook his head, "I can see if I can hack into any cameras at the weapons facility."

Robin's eyes widened and he looked to Alfred. He'd probably tell Bruce about the fact they even considered that.

A wicked smile appeared on Alfred's face, "no need to hack anything, Mr. Cyborg. I'm sure there's access to them in the BatCave"

Robin sighed in relief. He took Starfire's hand and pulled her up with him to stand, "then let's go. I feel like we've already waited too long. He's probably been there."

They began walking out of the training room, Raven remained to meditate. Alfred spoke, "if my calculations are correct, he may have just arrived and is still observing this Slade."

Robin sighed, "let's hope so."

The walk to the den was done in silence. Starfire could feel the waves of worry off of those surrounding her, and she was sure that she was giving off some herself. She fought the urge to cling to Robin. She had done so earlier in an attempt to calm him, but she was now sure that it would be unwelcome. There was a mission before them. She fell behind Robin and wrung her hands. Cyborg leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "it'll be okay, sis. He probably won't even need us. You saw how Batman kicked our asses, and he told me he can kick Robin's ass too. He'll be fine. Robin's probably just worried about Slade gettin' away."

Starfire nodded, but she did not feel comforted. Slade was still very dangerous, and he was gathering weapons. Starfire knew she would feel much better once the team had an eye on Robin's mentor.

When they reached the den, Alfred walked towards the wall. Starfire had not seen what had happened, she only heard a beep, then Alfred typing in a code. Starfire watched as a door seemed to appear out of no where.

"That is friggin' sweeeet. Why don't we have one of those at the tower?" Beastboy seemed to be examining every inch of the door, had Starfire been in a better mood, she did not doubt that it would have been humorous.

"We don't have one at the Tower, because we don't need one. We're no undercover." Robin's voice was dull, he seemed to be in the same condition as Starfire, "c'mon. Let's go."

The team walked through the dark passage.

"I remember you! It's the Batcave!" Beastboy wiggled excitedly then ran from Cyborg's side. Starfire guessed that he was going to explore.

Starfire stood beside Alfred who was typing quickly at the main computer.

Alfred smiled and turned to Robin, "Master Richard, Master Wayne is still observing, he is quite safe."

Robin exhaled then nodded at the butler's retreating figure, "thank you, Alfred."

Starfire looked closely at the cameras, there were many different angles shown on the screen. She squinted, she could make out Batman's shape, but barely.

"That is him right?" Robin was looking at her, he knew that her senses were much better than his.

Starfire smiled and nodded, "yes, but the footage is the 'grainy' yes?"

Robin nodded at her than continued to stare at the screens, "can you see Slade?"

Starfire bit her lip then nodded, "he can be found in the top left corner of the 'camera four'."

Cyborg whistled, "you do have some good eyes there, Star. I can barely make him out." He grunted, "if Bruce is so stinking rich, why can't he get better cameras?"

"We usually don't have much use for them." Robin's voice was dull.

Starfire continued watching Slade, "Do we have a way to contact Batman?"

Robin turned to her, "I can get one, why?"

Starfire pointed to the screen with Slade on it, "Slade is searching for something, there is a small area of the darkened glass in the upper section of the room. Batman looks as if he is struggling to observe Slade, is there a possible way for him to get there?"

Robin arched an eyebrow, "Star, Bruce is a prof-"

"She's right man, I don't think he knows he could get around Slade, with us watching him, Bruce could. We just have to let him know. I don't think he counted on havin' our help."

Robin sighed and nodded, "alright." He hit a series of keys and spoke again, "Robin to Batman, do you read?"  
After a moment or two, a series of clicks and beeps came in as a reply. Robin chuckled darkly, "he's yelling at me in morris code." He shook his head, "we have eyes on you. We found somewhere you could survey the room from. We can direct you to it."

Another series of clicks came.

A small smile appeared on Robin's face, "get to the top of the balcony across the room. Leap to the west wall, then down. You'll be behind some one way glass. Just be quick."

And Bruce was quick. If Starfire had blinked, she would have missed him. She watched Slade carefully, waiting for any sign that he knew that Bruce was there. She saw no change. That somehow made her more nervous.

A quick click emitted from the computer, and Robin smiled again, "he says thanks. Also, he's asking if we noticed anything else."

Starfire heard cyborg reply to Robin, but she was watching Slade still. She felt Cyborg poke her, and she heard Robin call her name, but she could not take her eyes of the screen. She bit her lip, "is it at all possible to enlarge that?"

She felt Robin give her a look, but he complied. She heard Robin's intake of breath and Cyborg's cursing.

"Batman. He knows you're there. He's well armed."

Starfire shook her head, "Slade is much too calm, Robin. I do not like this."

Robin ran his hand through his hair, "this has to be a trap. We have to get over there."

Cyborg clicked his tongue, "you just said this was a trap, and you want to walk right into it?"  
Robin shot him a look, "he's my mentor, Cyborg."

Cyborg clenched his hands into fists, "he knows we're here. This is a trap to get Star."

"How do you know?" Robin's voice was harsh.

Cyborg gestured to the screen, "look at him. He's waitin'. He's waitin' for us! I bet he has something he could use against Starfire right now."

Robin clenched his jaw, but Starfire spoke for him, "Cyborg, we cannot leave Batman. If Slade was unarmed, we might consider staying. He is already very dangerous, you know this. With a weapon… and of that caliber… that is not just a gun, yes?"

Robin shook his head, "Bruce told me about this. It's much more than a gun. It has explosive, and flamethrower options. It's meant for combat with…."

Cyborg raised an eyebrow, "with…?"

Robin looked at the ground and shook his head. Starfire closed her eyes, "it is meant for combat against aliens."

Cyborg clenched his jaw, "you're fucking kidding me."

Robin shook his head, "something happened with Superman… they fought… or they fought someone… and he thought they needed better weapons."

"I thought Bruce had a no kill policy." Cyborg's voice was cold.

"He does, this wouldn't kill them." Robin couldn't look at Starfire.

Cyborg scoffed.

Starfire sighed, "it does not matter. We must assist him."

Cyborg huffed, "it doesn't matter? Star this has to bother you."

Starfire looked back at the screen, "my emotions are irrelevant. Never the mind if I am bothered by this or not, Bruce is in danger… and he is in need of assistance."

Cyborg sighed, "I'll go get Raven."

###

Starfire took a breath, desperate to get her emotions under control. She was scared, and angry. The thought of facing an armed Slade scared her immensely, especially if the weapon was tailored to combat with aliens. The fact that Bruce had made that weapon was the reason she was angry. It seemed as though earthlings were quick to see a threat in everything, and this was coming from her, the princess of a warrior race. So far, she had been so under control that Raven had not noticed her emotional turmoil, and she intended to keep it that way. Raven had enough to worry about, she was going to have to transport the entire team to the other side of the city. Someone would need to guard Raven while she recharged after, but Starfire was sure that Beastboy would volunteer.

"Is everybody ready? Raven how are you doing?" Robin's voice was commanding and composed.

Starfire looked towards Raven curious to her friend's condition as well, "I'm fine. Ready to go whenever you guys are."

Raven held out her hands, Beastboy took one. Starfire knew that if she touched Raven directly, she risked transporting her emotions to her friend, hindering Raven's abilities. Starfire opted to take Cyborg's hand instead. Raven gave her an odd look, and Starfire fought not to look her in the eye. She felt Robin's hand in hers, and she held her breath, bracing for the chill of Raven's powers to overtake her.

 _"_ _Azarath metrion zinthos!"_

It suddenly felt as thought Starfire's blood was flowing in the opposite direction, her jaw clenched, and her breath left her quickly. Before she knew it, her feet were on solid ground again. She opened her eyes quickly to check on Raven's condition, and the condition of the rest of her friends.

Raven was leaning heavily on Beastboy. Raven had focused on her energy to ensure that the destination spot was vacated, and away from any danger. Raven offered her a small smile, "I'm okay, Star. I just need to recharge."

Starfire approached slowly, "I could offer you some-"

Raven shook her head instantly, "no, Starfire, you need your energy right now. All of it."

Starfire sighed, her eyes still full of concern.

"I'm okay, Starfire. I promise." Raven offered her a small smile as Beastboy assisted her into a sitting position.

Starfire nodded sadly.

"We gotta keep it down now. Scanner says someone's comin'." Cyborg crouched behind a pile of boxes, his arm forming his cannon.

Robin looked to Starfire, as if reading his mind, she grabbed his arms and flew him to the second floor, where they crouched behind the banister. Raven manipulated some crates to conceal Beastboy and herself.

Robin was desperately sending a message to Batman. He wrapped his cape around himself in an attempt to muffle the clicks, Starfire determined that to a person with human ears it was quite effective.

Robin leaned over to whisper into Starfire's ear, "he's not responding. I have nothing."

Starfire gave him a worried glance and listened carefully, "I am hearing footsteps."

Her voice was so small, Robin strained to hear it. He nodded back to her and listened.

After a few moments, he could hear them as well. They were faint, but he could tell that whoever was making them was making no attempt to be quiet.

This wasn't Batman.

Starfire bit her lip as the footfalls grew louder. Her nerves twisted in her stomach, each step could have easily been like a gunshot to her.

Starfire exhaled. Slade would not do this to her. She was a trained warrior, fierce and practiced. The steps suddenly stopped. Starfire heard a small click. Her eyes widened, she tackled Robin.

An explosion rocked the ceiling above their heads.

####

"Starfire? Starfire!" Robin desperately shook his girlfriend. They had hit the ground and slid, narrowly avoiding being crushed by falling debris. Starfire had shielded Robin to the best of her ability, knowing that she could survive when he could not. She was clearly injured. She had cuts all over her skin, and a cut along her forehead.

"Tsk, tsk. You'd think the titans would be more prepared for an attack."

Robin growled through his teeth and picked up Starfire, flattening her against the wall safely behind him. He heard the blast of Cyborg's sonic cannon and used the opportunity to tend to Starfire.

He reached into his belt and took out the first aid kit. He cleaned the cut on her head first. It was deep, far too deep for Robin's liking.

"Rob, we could really use some help here!" Cyborg sounded winded.

Robin clenched his jaw, "I'm a little busy!"

He heard the swish of a cape. He looked up to see the beaten face of his mentor, "she okay?"

Robin nodded, "she took a hit for me."

Batman sighed and inspected her head, "she's okay. She'll be up soon."

As if on cue, another explosion sounded and Starfire's eyes shot open. She looked between Batman and Robin.

"You are both unharmed?" Starfire sounded relieved.

Robin nodded, and Batman spoke, "we won't be for long. As long as Slade has that weapon we're fighting a losing battle. It's hard to even lay a hand on him."

Starfire nodded, "then we shall separate them."

She looked down at Slade from the second floor, and bit her lip. She moved her hair off of her shoulder. She looked at Robin, "do you have an idea of how to accomplish this?"

Robin clenched his jaw, "it'd be nice if you could find a way to work your Tamaranean magic."

Starfire nodded, "I shall try."

Batman stood beside Robin, "if we all attack at once, she might be able to get through."

Robin nodded. Without a second thought, he leapt from the balcony, landing behind Slade. He barely had a moment to respond before flames were chasing him.

He was thankful when he felt Starfire grab him from under his arms and lift him into the air. She could feel the fire coming from Slade's weapon behind her. She heard a click and turned instantly, shooting the explosive disc coming their way with her eyebeams. The force sent Robin, Starfire, and Slade into opposite walls. Robin looked to Starfire, "are you okay?"

She nodded, "are you?"

Robin nodded and looked towards Slade. They had successfully separated him from the weapon. He was fighting Batman hand to hand. Starfire heard Raven groan. She ran by the empath's side and inspected her for wounds, while Robin began to assist his mentor.

Raven's eyes widened when she saw the cut on Starfire's head, "are you alright?"

Starfire smiled, "I am well. Are you harmed? Where are Cyborg and Beastboy?"

Raven looked around, she smiled and pointed. A small cockroach appeared from under some debris. Beastboy morphed, "ugh. I do not like Slade when he has explosives."

There was a shift in a pile of rock behind him. Cyborg sat up, "why do you like him at all?"

Starfire looked back towards the fight when she heard Batman grunt. Her eyes widened when she saw the blood flowing from his nose, "they need our assistance."

Raven shook her head, "I think I'm still out for now."

Starfire nodded, "Beastboy?"

He nodded, "I'll stay with her."

Cyborg stood, "let's go, little lady."

Starfire nodded and lifted her friend, flying over to the fight. She gritted her teeth, she allowed her warrior self to begin to take over. She felt the emptiness flowing through her limbs. She released her friend and landed behind Slade. Cyborg activated his sonic cannon and pointed it at their enemy, "give it up, Slade, you're surrounded."

Slade crouched, he reached into his belt and grabbed a remote, his eyes narrowed at the team surrounding him, "four against one? I thought you titans to be fair."

Starfire shot a star bolt at the remote in Slade's hand, but was a second too late. The wall behind Raven and Beastboy exploded. A small army of Sladebots, and some much larger robots came into view as the dust settled.

Robin cursed. A t-rex roared loudly and wrapped his tail around Raven, knocking many of the bots away with his head. Cyborg ran to his friend's side, cannon raging. Starfire shot a volley of star bolts at the threat from where she stood.

"You will fail, titans." Slade's voice was venomous. It made Starfire's skin crawl. Robin charged him, bo staff in hand.

Starfire flew to assist her friends. The larger bots were armed with large guns. Starfire focused her energy around her and flew through a robot who had been aiming at Beastboy's back. It melted around her. Starfire wiped some molten metal from her shoulder and stood protectively in front of Raven.

Raven stood, "we're fine over here. I'm fine. Go get Slade!"

Robin struggled to block some of Slade's particularly quick attacks. Batman kicked at Slade from behind, but was stopped. Slade swung Batman into Robin. He stood over them.

"This is the dynamic duo of Batman and Robin?" He shook his head.

Slade looked at his hand and flexed his fingers, Robin's eyes widened as a red star bolt appeared.

"I was able to study Blackfire's abilities," Slade pulled at the metal gloves incasing his hands, "after a few tries, I was able to create a weapon with similar properties."

Robin attempted to stand as the red star bolt was pointed at him, but the weight of his mentor and their tangled limbs held him down. Slade's eye narrowed as he released the star bolt.

Starfire was in front of the two in an instant, her hands glowing green before her. She cried out in pain as she took the hit, her body tense. Slade seemed to have expected this,

"doesn't it burn, princess?" He grabbed her arms, his hands glowing red, she cried out again, "I couldn't just use the light you and your siblings used, it wasn't powerful enough. I'm using pure fire." He threw her to the ground. She was panting, two handprint-shaped burns were forming on her forearms.

"I'll burn the bodies of your friends, Koriand'r."

Starfire hissed angrily in response to this. Her eyes began to glow green. Heat radiate from her skin. She crouched, baring her teeth at Slade. Slade chuckled, "your brother told me about your tame methods of fighting, Starfire. I don't fear you."

She could hear Batman groan behind her. Robin stood, finally able to untangle himself for Batman. Robin held several birdirangs between his knuckles,

"it's you're move, Slade."

Slade lowered his head. He reached into his belt. Before either one of them could react, a chain shot from Slade's wrist. It wrapped itself around Starfire's wrists and pulled her forward. Starfire felt the knife at her throat, the burning of Slade's star bolts was seeping into her back.

Robin's eyes were wide, as if Slade's actions were still sinking in.

"Call off your team, Robin." The condescending tone was back in his voice.

Robin looked defeated. Starfire shook her head, "do not."

Slade pushed the knife deeper into her throat, she could feel the cut it left.

"You will call off your team Robin. You wouldn't risk her would you."

Starfire made eye contact with Robin, a small smile playing on her lips, "you will be surprised at the risks Robin will take." She channeled so much energy into her skin that it seemed to scream. Slade grunted in pain and released her. Starfire flipped over Slade's shoulders and a rain of birdarangs descended upon him.

Starfire distanced herself from Slade and tried to pull the chains off of her wrist. She was still attached. The chains refused to budge. Starfire furrowed her brow, but smiled when she could see Robin once again. His face held relief as he looked at her. Both could hear their friends' battle ending as well.

A hot bolt of electricity shot up the chain. Starfire fell to her knees and screamed, fighting to pull her wrists free.

Slade stood. There were scratches across his mask, as well as a small crack. There were cuts over the entirety of his uniform. His eyes were narrowed mercilessly at the alien.

Starfire felt the electricity force her energy to her hands, her heart beat sporadically, her ears rang, she could see Robin screaming something to her, she saw Batman moving behind him. She closed her eyes, her skin burned, she needed to expel heat, she knew it. She gritted her teeth and focused on regaining control over her energy. She pictured her green glow traveling down her arm. She fired a star bolt.

The electricity stopped, she felt the molten metal on her wrist. She opened her eyes. It was done, she had brought herself back. Robin was suddenly around her, she heard the familiar click. An explosion rocked her entire body. She and Robin flew across the room. Starfire fought her muscles and sat up, she caught Slade hitting Batman across the head with his gun. He pointed the barrel at Batman's back.

Starfire gritted her teeth and fought through her aching body and shot across the room. She grabbed Slade by the waist and fired herself into the wall. Her shoulder screamed in agony at the impact. She fell back to her knees, but Slade caught himself. He turned and pointed the gun to her head. He narrowed his eyes at her, then pointed the gun towards her friends.

"NO!" Her voice was hoarse.

The world seemed to slow. Starfire heard the click, the explosive disc left the gun. Without thinking she fired a star bolt at the disk. The explosion erupted around them. Flames and debris surrounded them. Starfire formed a star bolt around herself, desperate for some defense. Her muscles screamed in agony, her eyes widened as her star bolt faded. pieces of the wall and boulders closed in around her.

###

Robin desperately tore at the pile of rocks before him. He had watched it happen. he had watched her take that explosion for all of them. He wished she was selfish, that she was less caring, that she would've let that disk hit them. He knew his friends were thinking something similar for they were tearing at the pile as well.

A hand laid itself on his shoulder, "Robin, you have to stop. You and your team. They have to stop."

Robin shrugged the hand off, "no."

Batman closed his eyes, "Robin, no one could have survived that."

Raven's eyes turned red, "don't you fucking say that! You don't ever fucking say that!"

Beastboy looked to his team, "I have her scent, under here!"

The titans ran to his side, Raven began moving several rocks away at a time, the guys pushed the rocks away with their hands.

Nothing could have prepared them for what they saw.

"She's.. alive." Batman's voice seemed unbelieving.

Raven nodded, "she's in a lot of pain," her voice broke, "Robin."

Robin nodded and lifted his girlfriend out of the debris. She had gashes all over her body. Every inch of her body was either bloodied, or bruising. He kissed her forehead, and brought her to Raven. She instantly began healing her. Robin could see Raven's obvious fatigue, but the empath continued, she seemed desperate.

"Where's Slade?" Batman's voice was dismal.

He had been standing right beside Starfire. Cyborg and Robin began moving rocks again.

They found his arm first. His body was broken. His mask was destroyed, there were cuts across his bare face. Robin pulled him out of the rubble. He felt for a pulse,

"He's… he's dead." Robin put his head in his hand. It wasn't supposed to end up like this. Slade wasn't supposed to die. He looked at his face, "I-I'm not even sure I know who this is."

Batman knelt beside Robin and put an arm around him, "there's nothing we can do. I'll find out who this is. I already called the authorities, I reported this. They know how this happened…" Batman stood and addressed all of the titans, "we have to get out of here."

Raven nodded, she bent over to pick Starfire up, but Robin shook his head and carried his girlfriend instead.

Beastboy shook his head, "Starfire couldn't have killed Slade."

Robin turned to him quickly,almost angrily, "she didn't. Slade killed himself. He killed himself as soon as he shot that charge at us."

They continued to walk out of the decimated building.

Robin looked at Batman, "did he know who we are?"

Batman nodded he seemed angry, " He was well prepared for us. He even knew that you would use the surveillance in this building to help me."

Robin nodded.

Batman sighed, "Robin, you can't blame yourself for this."

Robin clenched his jaw, "you heard that scream, all that pain she was in. And there was nothing I could do."

Batman cocked his head, "you think she's mad at you?"

Robin shook his head.

Batman huffed, "then what are you upset about?"  
Robin kissed Starfire's forehead, and shook his head.

Batman stared at the girl in his protégé's arms, "I thought Tamaraneans were a warrior people."

Robin nodded, "they are. Starfire's just… she's just different."

Batman sighed, "you love her."

Robin looked at him, "yes."

Batman shook his head, "that's dangerous."

Robin clenched his jaw again, "you just saw the length she would go to protect me, to protect us."

Batman chuckled, "I wasn't taking about that. She really has you, Dick."

Robin allowed a small smile, "you have no idea."


	27. Chapter 27

_I'm sorry it's been so long. We had a some family stuff happen. I'll try to finish this up before I have to vanish again. I'm sorry. Please reread 26, I had to make some changes in order for the story to end up in the right place. Sorry._

Starfire could feel every part of her body. It hurt. Every breath seemed to tear her to her bones. She felt nauseatingly exhausted, her Tamaranian body was calling for more healing sleep. She longed to oblige but she had to know, was she quick enough? Had she stopped Slade's attack?

She gritted her teeth and opened her eyes, sitting up slowly. It was dark. It was clear that she was still supposed to be sleeping. She slowly put her feet to the ground, she shivered at the contact. It had clearly been a while since she had consumed sun, her skin had a certain chill. She stood, catching herself before she could fall. She bit her lip and tested her legs again. Putting weight on them definitely hurt, Starfire flinched as she stood. She sighed and looked to the door.

Seven steps. That's all it was.

Starfire straightened. She had fought in worse conditions than this. She clenched her fists as she walked. Each step was agonizing, but her face remained the same.

One.

What if she had failed. What if her friends were gone?  
Two.

Where was Robin?

Three.

Raven?

Four.

Cyborg and Beastboy?

Five.

Was Batman alright?

Six.

What was it Slade had wanted?

Seven.

Starfire leaned on the door, teeth clenched and panting.

She straightened. The key pad next to the door beeped quietly. The beeping quickened, and the door slid open.

"Aaaand I was wrong."

Starfire looked toward the source of the sound, "Raven?"

A green blur flew toward the Tamaranean and clung to her, "Star! We were so worried! You literally exploded!"

"Grass Stain, do you ever think before you talk?" Cyborg tore Beastboy from Starfire, and lifted the girl into a hug, "you had us worried there for a while, sis."

Starfire hugged him back, "then, I was successful?"

Raven tapped Cyborg's shoulder, "in almost getting yourself killed? Yeah. I'd say so."

Cyborg released the girl, and Raven pulled her into her arms, "I thought we all told you to stop that."

"I offer apologies, Raven. You are all alright?"

Starfire felt Raven nod, but the empath did not release her.

"Has Slade been taken into custody?"

Raven stiffened and released her friend.

A hand stroked Starfire's hair, she turned. Robin smiled at her.

Starfire wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled herself into his neck, "Richard! Friends! You are all alright?"

Robin chuckled, "yeah, you made sure of that."

"And Batman?"  
"I'm alright, Starfire." Batman's voice sounded far away.

"Starfire," Robin gently pushed her away so he could look at her, "why did you-"

Raven interrupted quickly, "Robin."

Robin shook his head at her, "I need to know."

Raven walked towards him, "she's not even fully healed yet."

Robin turned back towards Starfire wand inspected her, "what?"

Raven put her had on Starfire's shoulder, "I'm not sure how she did it, but she forced herself up to check on us."

Robin shook his head, "you, back to bed."

Starfire frowned and tilted her head, "there is something I am in need of knowing?"

Robin sighed, he picked her up and brought her to the couch.

"Robin she shoul-"

"She can sleep out her, Bruce. She'll probably stay asleep if we're all here." Robin reached into his pocket, Starfire smiled when he brought out a hair tie, "you want your hair up?"

Cyborg guffawed, "you're whipped."

He shot the finger towards Cyborg without breaking eye contact with Starfire. She smiled and nodded, she reached for it.

Robin shook his head, "I got it, your shoulders have to be killing you."

He was right, Starfire was sore all over, but her shoulders were agonizing, "I am unsure of what occurred after I, what was it you said Beastboy? Exploded?"

Robin sighed, and began working on her hair silently, leaving Raven to explain.

"It-it happened really fast, We weren't sure that it really even happened." She shook her head, "we couldn't see you, there was way too much dust in the air. But from your cuts and bruises… We think that you hit the wall, then were covered by rocks."

Starfire inspected a large, yellowing bruise on her arm. Robin finished her hair and pulled her into him by her waist,

"And how long have I been asleep?"

"maybe a day, I thought you'd be out much longer…"  
Cyborg laughed, "but our girl's tough." He playfully pulled on with Starfire's new hair bun.

Robin clicked his tongue and slapped his friend's hand away, "I just did that."

Raven allowed herself a smile then knelt in front of Starfire, "you should have left it to the expert."

Robin shook his head, "It looks good!"

Raven began re-working Starfire's hair, "maybe from the back."

Robin buried his face into Starfire's neck, "mean. They're all mean."

Starfire giggled, and rubbed Robin's arm, "I am sure you did wonderfully, _dy iliuni._ "

Bruce stood, "so she's it then?"

The team looked up. Robin spoke, "what?"

"She's you're glue. Each one of you were sitting out here, barley able to function, then she comes out and you're joking around with each other. You're-"

Robin hugged Starfire tighter, "she's the reason we all found each other."

"Ah, yes, because she was attacking the city. What an angel."

Robin growled, "she's been saving people her whole life. She saved your ass!"

Starfire shook her head, "Robin, please. there is no need for hostility. Bruce is correct, I cause much damage to our city when I first arrived."

Raven shook her head, "you were terrified, you couldn't understand anyone, and you'd just escaped the Gordanians. You had no idea where you were and what would happen to you."

Starfire smiled sadly, "but many citizens could've gotten hurt."

Cyborg shook his head furiously, "but none did. You literally only engaged us after we attacked you!"

Starfire stared out into space then gasped. Her voice was small, "I hurt the place that provides us the pizza."

Raven stared at Starfire for a moment, then turned to Bruce with a dismissive look, "yeah, she's a 'danger to society' alright."

Bruce narrowed his eyes, "none of you could beat her. She survived an explosion, for fuck's sake."

Starfire nodded, finally understanding the root of this discussion, "if you are concerned that I may-"

Robin hugged her closer, "no one is. You won't."

Starfire closed her eyes continued, "if you are concerned that I may attack civilians, you need only deprive me of sun. I will become very weak, and I shall perish."

The other titans were silent. Tears were forming in Raven's eyes.

"But how would we restrain you?"

Robin's head shot up, "Bruce!"

Starfire tilted her head, "the restraints the Gordanians used were quite effective. The outer shell stopped my star bolts, while the inner ensured my arms were not useful. The outer shell would require reinforcement as I was able to destroy that. Then inner layer required the 'lock picking'." She turned to smile at Robin, He looked miserable, Starfire bit her lip and continued, "we were instructed to return to Tamaran, should we choose to go I am able to acquire some _pararium._ When Tamaran was in its time of the civil wars, warriors would make their armor out of this, it is impossible for Tamaraneans to break."

Raven shook her head, "we're not doing that."

Starfire turned to her, "Raven, if it would ease Bruc-"

"We don't give a damn what makes him comfortable, Star." Beast boy's eyes were menacingly dark.

"You'd never hurt anyone, Star." Robin rubbed her shoulders.

"She just killed a human, Dick. Slade is dead." Bruce's eyes were unforgiving.

Starfire almost leapt out of Robin's arm, but he held her tight.

"You didn't do it, Star. It wasn't your fault." Robin's voice was desperate and strained. He could feel her pain, he guilt. He clung to her.

Raven took Starfire's face in her hands, the alien's eyes were full of tears, "he was thrown into the wall, like you. The rocks crushed him. It wasn't you."

Cyborg's sonic cannon was pointed at Bruce, "How dare you."

"I did not…" Starfire's voice cracked and faded,

"Starfire, you saved us. That's what you did. You didn't do anything wrong!" Beast boy's voice was weak, he was rubbing Starfire's head as he had often seen Raven do.

"Give me a reason why I should blow your head off," Cyborg's voice was dark, venom dripped off his tongue.

"He just couldn't survive, he didn't have your strength."

"You didn't do anything wrong."

Starfire stopped struggling and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Star?" Raven felt nothing coming from the girl, the immense pain, the guilt, it was all just gone.

"Starfire? Star, it's okay." Robin brought her into his lap and tucked her head under his chin.

Robin looked at his mentor, "I thought you understood. I thought you would forgive her."

Bruce shook his head, "his name was Slade Wilson. He was human. He had a family. He-"

"He was a maniac who wanted Starfire." Robin's voice was unforgiving.

"What gives you the right to put more value on her life than his?"

"He tried to kill the citizens of Jump hundreds of times," Cyborg spoke, his cannon still pointed at Bruce.

"he kidnapped Starfire's family." Raven growled,

"he hurt Robin too many times." Beastboy was glaring at the man.

"He was human." Bruce was unwavering.

"Which I guess makes him better than an alien, right?" The team turned to Robin in shock, "you are so scared of them because **you** can't beat them. Because you're not invincible. They remind you that you won't always win. They remind you that you have weakness."

Robin stood, lifting Starfire with him. Her eyes were still clenched shut and she clung to Robin, "Starfire saved your ass. You owe her your life. She barely knows you, and she would **die** for you. Now, you're saying she's a murderer. Go to hell, Bruce. We're leaving."

###

Raven still couldn't sense anything from Starfire. She had opened her eyes and packed her things, but she did not speak. They had decided to return to Tamaran. It would be a short stay, they just wanted to tell Galfore that the threat was gone, and see if he had any more information about the _d'aulle nitney._ The titans wanted to be home. They wanted to pretend like this never happened. That Starfire wan't suffering. Robin sat on the couch, maskless, stroking Starfire's hair. They had loaded the T-Ship quickly, and had left as soon as they could. Starfire was laying on Robin's chest, but she still did not speak, her eyes were constantly downcast.

Cyborg had insisted on flying the whole way again, so the remaining titans sat in the wing. Beastboy was telling the story of how he single handedly fought off the army of Slade-bots. At the funny moments, he would look over to Starfire, searching for the faintest hint of a smile. While he was explain how he used his sonic cannon to take down a large bot, Raven turned to Robin,

"How could he say all those things? About aliens? He was part of the Justice League, wasn't he? He fought side-by-side with them."

Robin looked up, he took his hands from Starfire's hair, and brought her closer, "I don't know. At first I thought that he thought aliens showed him his weaknesses, but now… I'm thinking about it more… I don't know. Most of the 'monsters' he faces are human…"

"Starfire saved his life." Raven's voice was filled with sadness.

"Yeah, she did, twice. Slade was going to shoot him… She stopped him. The explosion that she stopped would've killed him too."

Raven looked at the girl in Robin's arms, "she's… she'd never do anything wrong… He has to see that. I mean, she blames herself for Slade's death… She's in so much pain over it, even after everything he's done… and wanted to do… she's… She's-"

"She's an angel…I know." Robin kissed Starfire's hair she closed her eyes and relaxed into his neck. Robin felt the faintest touch of her lips.

"You must not say that."

Raven jumped up at the sound of her friend's voice.

A small smile appeared on Robin's lips, "and why is that?"

"You and our friends are the ones that are angelic." Her voice was small, but the team could not help but smile.

"but you are an angel. You are also beautiful." Robin smiled, he began tickling her ribs.

Starfire clung to Robin, "you must not say that!"

Robin chuckled, "I said it."

Raven plopped beside Robin on the couch, she was catching on to Robin's game, "he's right, Star." She moved a stray hair from Starfire's face.

Robin's smile grew bigger, "you're also-"

Starfire sat up, a blush was across her face, "Richard! No more! You must not!"

Robin laughed and kissed her nose, "you never do well with compliments, do you?"

Starfire stared at him, she tilted her head. Raven felt the waves of sadness in her friend once again.

"I am sorry." Starfire looked down.

Robin put his finger under her chin and lifted her face towards him, "for what, Star?"

A tear rolled down her cheek, "I.. I did not mean to harm him, Richard… That was never-"

Robin hugged her tightly into him. Raven rubbed her back. Beastboy morphed into a kitten and purred against her leg.

"Star, we know. We know. You didn't do anything." Robin closed his eyes tightly.

"Would it have been possible for me to save h-" She pulled away to look into Robin's eyes.

"No, Starfire. He killed himself as soon as he fired at us." Robin's voice was comforting.

"I am not similar to my father?"

The breath left Raven and her eyes widened. Starfire blamed herself for one death, and she was already comparing herself to a man who actually caused the deaths of so many. Raven cursed herself inwardly, she should have known that Starfire would've thought like this. Starfire had instantly thought that they had all hated her, they were all disappointed in her. Raven tilted her head and rubbed Starfire's arm.

Robin shook his head, "no, Starfire. You're not. You never will be." He kissed her forehead.

"But Slade… he had a family." Starfire looked down again.

Robin hugged her, "it wasn't your fault, Starfire. I promise." He put his hand in her hair, he closed his eyes tightly, "Starfire, Slade was never going to make it out alive."

Starfire pulled back, her eyes full of terror, "he was injured?"

Robin shook his head, "No, Star. He was trying to get you. You know that, right?"

Starfire furrowed her brow and nodded, "Starfire, had he gotten you, I… we-"

Raven put a hand on Robin's shoulder.

He brought Starfire's forehead to his own, "Starfire, I would've killed him."


	28. Chapter 28

_Okay, so it's been a long time guys. I'm really sorry. There's no excuse really, but please try to understand. We had a family tragedy, and I've been attempting to cope with it. I'm back, and I will try to update as much as I can. This story is very close to being finished, so I'll do that. I was planning a sequel for it, but I am unsure how that will go._

 _Thank you so much for your patience and continued support._

Starfire ran her hands through Robin's hair again. He sighed and leaned into her forehead. A small smile crept across her mouth. She had thought they would hate her. She had killed Slade. She had not meant to, it was either her and Slade, or her friends. She hadn't had time to even think about the consequences of her actions. The second that explosive had left the weapon, Starfire was forced to act.

Starfire was dragged from her thoughts by a thorough peppering of kisses from Robin. Raven and Beastboy had left the couple in order to assist Cyborg. Both were thankful for the time alone, it had been a while since they had been given any. Starfire giggled as the peppering continued. She squirmed and wiggled, trying to hide herself under Robin's chin. She failed as he tickled her ribs, causing her to try to escape again, freeing her face for more kisses. Robin sighed and leaned against Starfire's forehead, "I love you, Koriand'r."

Starfire smiled, she kissed his top lip, "and I you, Richard."

Robin took Starfire's bottom lip between his own. Starfire's hands wove themselves into Robin's hair. Robin deepened this kiss and pulled her into him by her waist. Starfire nibbled on Robin's lip, she felt him smile against her mouth. His tongue traced her top lip, and she opened her mouth slightly. Robin growled, it was not enough to let him in. His hands traveled from her waist up to her neck. He held her jaw steady as he nuzzled her mouth open with his own. Starfire tongues fought, and Robin's hands roamed. They found Starfire's hips and inched them forward on his laps, his breathing hitched as she rubbed against him.

"YO! We're there, guys. It looks like Galfore's already comin' out to greet us."

The scratching of the intercom had surprised the two. Robin was crouched, leaning protectively over Starfire (who had her legs twisted around Robin's waist and was clinging to him), birdarangs in hand. Robin groaned and fell back on the couch. Starfire straddling him again. A small smile stretched across her face,

"were you expecting to have intercourse here?"

Robin smiled sadly, kissing her lips gently, "I can dream, right?"

Starfire untangled herself from Robin and stood, offering him her hand. He smiled and took it. Starfire bit her lip, "are you certain that you wish to face Galfore?"

Robin cocked his head, "yeah? Why wouldn't I be?"

Starfire raised an eyebrow, "because he still desires us to be married."

Robin chuckled, "great."

###

Starfire wrung her hands as she waited for the ship's doors to open. Too much had happened, she hadn't thought about what she would say to Galfore. She knew he would be glad to hear of Slade's death, though it still sent chills down Starfire's spine. The familiar hiss of the door startled Starfire as it began to descend. She had truly hoped for more time to think of what to say. Robin squeezed her hand quickly and let go, he offered her a small smile. Her other friends were close behind.

Before the door had even fully descended, Starfire saw Galfore. His face held relief and she couldn't fight her smile.

"Koriand'r, we are most thankful for your safe return." Galfore spoke loudly. Starfire knew he was doing this for the crowd that had formed around the ship, and that he was eager to get her and her friends alone to hear the details.

Starfire straightened, "I am most pleased to have returned. We are all unharmed."

Galfore raised an eyebrow, "I must disagree Princess," Galfore gently lifted her arm, and gestured to the many bruises, "you look most harmed."

Starfire smiled sadly, "I am fine, my friend is a skilled healer. I will be back in my previous condition very soon."

Galfore nodded, "shall we continue to the palace. I am eager to hear of your endeavor."

Starfire nodded and stepped from the ship, her friends close behind. No guards surrounded them this time. It was a relief to Starfire, it meant that there was no perceived threat.

Starfire stopped suddenly, and cocked her head. Her eyes widened and she braced herself. There was a shout of protest from Robin and Starfire was grabbed and taken, quickly, into the air. Ryand'r hugged her close, "I am thankful for your return, sister. Kom and I were worried you might not come back."

Starfire was breathing shakily, she was able to offer her brother a smile, but the force he exerted upon her had awoken the soreness in her body. Her ribs were aching.

"I am most thankful to see you as well, brother. But please, might I be returned to the ground?"

Ryand'r's brow furrowed, "you are hurt?"  
Starfire nodded, her breath still shaky.

Ryand'r gently placed her on the ground near Robin. He was grinding his teeth at Starfire's worsened condition. Ryand'r took a moment to truly look at his sister,

" _You don't look well at all…"_ he looked her in the eye, _"did you lose?"_

Starfire just shook her head. Ryand'r offered a quick nod and walked with them, "Kom will be happy to hear you're home again. She's speaking to the people now. She's still struggling to win a few of them over. I guess we'll see."

Starfire cocked her head at this, "they have not yet accepted her?"

Ryand'r clenched his jaw, "most have. Kom just wants to have everyone's support."

Starfire nodded in understanding, "and you do not see the importance of her actions?"

Ryand'r shook his head, "the majority support her now. I truly don't see how such a few would make a difference."

Starfire sighed, "when I was on the Gordanian ship, the slaves were vast in number. We were the majority, however no one fought the Overseers out of their fear. The minority may be stronger than you believe, brother."

Ryand'r shook his head, "but the minority are not ruthless, and heartless beings with whips, guns, and the ability to decimate your home planet." Starfire sighed. Rand'r smirked, "I do see your point however. But when you stood up to them, you were alone, you were the minority, and you won."

Starfire shook her head, "many others joined in, brother. I'm sure we were evenly matched."

Ryand'r put up his hands, "I am agreeing with you sister. Perhaps our sister's efforts are necessary."

Starfire gave him a sidelong glance, and mumbled something in Tamaranian.

Robin shook his head. Starfire always seemed to dilute her own accomplishments. Her bravery on the Gordanian ship was unparalleled, but she still denied it. She was beyond modesty.

They entered the palace. Galfore lead them to the throne room. He sat on the stairs, and gestured for Starfire to join him. Ryand'r sighed and sat on Galfore's throne. This shocked the Titans, but Starfire and Galfore were unaffected.

Galfore took Starfire's hand, "it is done?"

Starfire nodded, "yes. Slade has been defeated."

Galfore gesture toward her, "and your injuries?"

Starfire bit her lip, "there was a battle, and Slade had a dangerous weapon."

Raven spoke up, "she was injured protecting up."

Galfore looked up at Raven and nodded, "I thank you for your honesty, Raven." He turned to Starfire, "what has become of this Slade?"

Starfire stiffened and began to wring her hands. Robin sighed. He fought his better judgement and sat beside Starfire, and took one of her hands, "Slade didn't make it out of battle."

Galfore furrowed his brow at the two, "how?"

Starfire spoke, her voice small, "I am afraid that I ki-"

"Slade killed himself, he shot an explosive at us, and Starfire protected us. He was killed by the falling pieces of the building."

Starfire bit her lip and looked at the ground.

Galfore lifted Starfire's chin, "do you regret protecting your friend, _dy auera?_ "

Starfire shook her head.

Galfore looked to Robin, "could his death have been avoided here?"

"No." Robin's voice was strong and sure.

Galfore looked back to Starfire, "there was nothing you could do." He shook his head, "you were the only one of my _bumgorfs_ to struggle with taking a life."

Raynd'r snorted, "she refused to. Remember when you had to come to Okaara because she wouldn't kill the prisoner."

Galfore smiled sadly, and looked to the Titans, "you have come a long way. Please rest. We shall talk more in the morning should it be necessary."

The titans rose, and they all began to leave.

"Koriand'r, I request that you and your _t'auerata_ stay."

Ryand'r stood, "well, I don't believe I am required for this particular conversation."

Starfire rolled her eyes. Robin stifled a laugh, she did not often do that.

"Koriand'r, I have thought very carefully about our discussions on your request to put a hold on any betrothals with Robin. I know that if the Council were to be alerted of this… you referred to it as a relationship?" Starfire nodded, and Galfore continued, "they would either demand matrimony, or, they would most likely demand its termination. As a Grand Ruler, I have a duty to alert the council." His face softened, "but I have a greater duty as your _k'norfka._ I know this may not seem to be worth much, but I swear I will not alert the Council of this relationship for a _liktaksar."_

Starfire smiled, and hugged him, "I am most thankful for you, Galfore. I am very sorry you were put in this situation.

Robin looked between the two, "what's a _liktaksar_?"

Startfire smiled at him lovingly, "it is a Tameranian version of a year, it is six hundred and seventy-eight of your earthen days."

Robin smiled at Galfore, "thank you."

Galfore nodded, "I am unsure of why your Earthen traditions differ so much from our own, do you not feel affection for Koriand'r?"

Robin knew Starfire was about to deflect the question from him, but he answered, "I love her with every thing I am." Robin looked at Starfire, "She's _dy iliuni."_

Galfore's eyes widened. It took a long while for him to regain his composure, "I believe that will suffice. Please, go rest. We will discuss more tomorrow."

Starfire kissed Galfore's cheek goodnight.

###

Starfire layed upon Robin's chest, "Richard, you did not need to say that."

Robin smiled and rubbed her back, he had missed sleeping beside her, "I know. I wanted to."

Starfire shook her head and tried to sit up, but Robin held tight, "Galfore does not doubt your loyalty or your affections for me. Earthen customs merely confuse him. You did no need to-"

Robin turned to his side so he could look at her, "Starfire, from what I've learned light on Tamaran means protection, love, loyalty and strength, right?"

Starfire bit her lip, "yes, in the 'the basic' terms. Yes."

Robin smiled at her wording, "those are all things I receive and feel for you."

Starfire shook her head and snuggled into his chest again. She mumbled something but Robin could not hear her.

He chuckled and looked down, "what?"

She mumbled again.

Robin's laughs were growing, "I can't understand a word you're saying."

She looked up at him with a pout on her face, "I am merely saying that you did not ne-"

Robin kissed her, swallowing her words. He pulled her face closer and gently grabbed her by her hips. Starfire melted into the kiss, opening her mouth for him. She ran her hands through his hair and down his face. He broke the kiss and touched his lips to her nose, "when will get it? I love you just as much as you love me."

Starfire's eyes gleamed wickedly. She moved her arms to either side of his body and straddled him. Resting her hips on his, "because it is simply impossible." She kissed his forehead slowly, then his cheeks, the corners of his mouth. Between her kisses she spoke, " _you are my light, and my heart,_ Richard, _I will never love another as I love you. You are courageous, loyal, and kind. You are my everything"_

Robin could only recognize a few words. He tried to figure out the others, but her kisses were distracting him. His breathing began to increase, and he was aroused. He knew what Starfire was doing, "that's not fair."

She smirked and began to kiss lower. Robin almost moaned when she reached the hem of his boxers. Her hands snaked under it, and they were off in a moment. Robin was about to pull her back up when he felt her tongue. He clenched his jaw as she licked and sucked the head of his penis. She began to lower her mouth onto him, then off, all the while massaging him were her hand and tongue.

He exhaled shakily, fighting any urge to buck his hips. He would not do that to her. He moaned as she took more of him into her mouth, "Star, angel, I don't think I'll last long if you keep this up."

Star released him, making a popping sound as he left her mouth and leaned forward so she could whisper in his ear, "I do not understand the problem, Richard."

He growled and rolled them over so he was on top. He began to grind against her and she gasped. He put his forehead against hers and continued to grind.

He spoke to her in a raspy voice,"I'd much rather hear you moan."

He ran his hand down her body, stopping when he reached the front of her underwear, he moved the crotch of them aside so he could reach her. He moved his head down, kissing her lips, in between her beasts, her stomach. He nibbled on the inside of her thigh. Then he licked her folds, she was already wet. Their teasing earlier had put heat in them, and now they were finally able to expel it. Robin moved his tongue against her, hearing her moan. He gripped her hips, incased she moved and continued, his arousal growing with each noise she made. He felt her hand in his hair, and rose to her face. She kissed his bottom lip, and lifted her hips to rub against him. He rubbed against her, feeling her underwear bunch and move with them. He growled and pulled them off, earning a small giggle from Starfire.

Starfire kissed his forehead, he put his hand in her hair and gently lowered her head so he could reach her lips. She ground against him once again.. He held her hips and pushed into her. Starfire gasped at his entrance,and moved to meet him. He began to thrust gently and slowly, cherishing the feeling of her. He clenched his jaw to fight back a moan as she moved with him. He put his forehead back on hers, she was biting her lip. He nuzzled her jaw, and kissed her neck, sucking and biting gently. He hadn't left a hickie on her before, and warmth shot through his stomach when he thought of her walking around with a small, loving mark he had left. He sped up a little bit, hearing nothing but the sounds they were making. He kissed the small mark he'd left and moved back up to kiss her lips,

"Starfire, I love you. I love you so much."

Starfire looked up at him with he sparkling eyes, "and I, you Richard. More than you could possibly know."

He sighed in contentment and his pace quickened. He lowered his mouth to hers again, feeling her breath increase against his lips. She moaned again, and tightened around him. He smirked, he knew her orgasm was coming. He began to play with her nipple in between his finger and thumb. She uttered a high pitched moan. The sounds she was making made his stomach tighten, he could feel the pressure building, but he was determined to get her off first. He continued to play with her, and began to kiss her jaw. She tightened again. He felt her nibble on the lobe of his ear and groaned. She was not making this easy on him. He moved his hand down to her spot, and he teased that. Her hand tightened on his arm, he smiled and kissed her again. He continued to play, and she continued to tightened.

Then he felt her contracting around him, he moaned in response and spilled into her. Panting against her neck. He felt Starfire's chest heaving against his own, and smirked, "Let's hope Raven didn't sense **that.** "


	29. Chapter 29

_Hey guys. I'm sorry I still suck at updating. I'm trying._

 _This chapter is more of the Titans chilling, and learning more about Tamaran. I hope you enjoy. I'm going to try and update again within the week so, we'll see._

Starfire rubbed her temples. The ancient Tamaranean words jumbled in her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut,

"Star, is it really that bad?" Robin rubbed her back in rhythmic patterns.

Starfire shook her head, "it would not be. These words are very similar to many other languages... My mind is doing 'the assuming' of the words' meaning. It is quite frustrating."

"Do you want to stop? Take a break? We could go get breakfast."

Starfire offered him a small smile, "you should go, _dy iliuni,_ I have often heard your stomach doing the 'rumbling.'"

Robin chuckled, and tickled her ribs, "I know you could survive without food for who knows how long-"

"a few weeks perhaps…" Starfire considered him.

Robin chuckled at her clarification, "but I'm not going down to eat without you."

Starfire gave him a look as he gently pulled the book from her hands.

"Besides, I'm a hero, I can't leave a damsel in distress." Robin shot her a wicked smile.

Starfire spoke while putting her hair up, "I am unsure of what occurred, Raven. Richard and I were merely talking and he fell straight upon his arse."

Robin laughed and offered Starfire his hand, "come on, you. I'm hungry."

Starfire accepted his hand, but scrunched up her nose at him.

He began to lead her out of the door and to the Great Hall.

"Do you think you'll find anything else in there?" Robin's face had switched to seriousness now,

Starfire furrowed her brow, "I am unsure. If I am being the honest, I now have more questions than I had originally."

Robin sighed, "like what?"

"I desire to know the training one must endure to gain control over a _d'ualle nitney_ , and the extent of their control. Should I ever be on a mission in the Vegan system and you and our friends remain on Earth, I am doing the wondering if you could contact me for assistance."

Robin shook his head, "we have a communicator for that, and why would we ever leave you to do a mission by yourself?"

Starfire smiled, "you do not wish to learn how to control the _d'ualle nitney?_ "

Robin shook his head, "it's a part of your freedom, Star. You know I would never want to influence that."

Starfire offered him a genuine smile, "that is precisely why I am happy that it is in your possession."

Robin mumbled something,

"What are you mumbling about?" Raven looked tired, but she was smirking at Robin, "you can't be complaining Robin, I'm guessing you had a pretty fun night."

Robin's eyes widened, "How can you SENSE that, Raven?"

Starfire giggled, "she cannot, you are the one who is confirming our endeavors, _dy iliuni._ "

Robin turned an embarrassing shade of red, "Raven, would you stop that?"

"it's not my fault that you're easily fooled, boy blunder." Raven's voice was monotonous.

Starfire cocked her head, "are you alright, Raven?"

Raven shook her head, "I just haven't had a lot of sleep recently, I'm good, Star."

Starfire bit her lip, "On the eastern face of the _Barseneol_ hills there is _j'uktonc._ It is a Tameranean sleeping plant. We often use it to ease warriors into death, to quiet young children into sleep, and to ease the night terrors of warriors. We could journey to retrieve some today, should you wish."

Raven offered her a smile, "it's okay, Star."

Starfire smiled back, "it creates a wonderful tea, and I also believe you will find the _Barseneol_ hills a lovely place to meditate, Raven."

Raven smiled a bit larger, "okay, Star. We would love to have your tour of Tamaran before we go, we've all wanted to see where you would go when you were younger."

Starfire considered her, "after breakfast, I will alert Galfore of our plans. There is much to see."

###

Robin smiled to himself as he and the rest of the titans walked through the small city surrounding the palace. The citizens huddled around Starfire holding out their hands and smiling. Starfire held as many as she could as they continued on their way, smiling and speaking to them in her native tongue. Robin had never doubted that her people loved her, but this was a sight. The titans stayed close to Starfire to avoid losing her in the crowd. Once the titans crossed the edge of the city Starfire turned to them,

"I apologize friends, I had not expected such a reaction."

Raven smiled, "you don't need to apologize, Star, it was interesting to see a princess in action."

Starfire smiled sadly and shook her head, "I am unsure why I am still considered a princess of Tamaran. After I named Galfore Grand Ruler, my title should have been removed."

Robin looked back towards the shrinking city as they continued on, "I don't think the people want to revoke your title, Star. They seem pretty loyal to you."

Starfire bit her lip, and thought for a moment, "the _Barseneol_ hills are quite far, shall we continue?"

Robin was about to bring up the subject of her people again but Cyborg spoke first,

"why are we walking there, Star? We could have just flown the ship."

Starfire smiled at Cyborg, "it is a beautiful place, I had done the figuring that we should walk so that if any of you decide to visit here again, you will not need my assistance, and may go in solitude."

Raven nodded, "she did say this would be a good meditation spot for me."

Starfire nodded, "it is quite calming, I would often draw here. It is quite soothing, and I would often..."

Starfire knelt on the ground and trailed off. Running her fingers against some indentations in the sand.

Robin knelt beside her, "Star?"

She looked up excitedly and began gently pulling Robin by his hand, "this way friends!"

They followed her quickly to a small hill, made of stone, over all it was unimpressive.

Beastboy raised an eyebrow, "is this the hill of Barstool? Um… Star it's-"  
Starfire giggled and shushed him, pointing to the edge of the small plain below the hill.

There were creatures that could only be describe as if a wolf and a horse mated and grew large twisting antlers. They were practicing sparring and yipping at one another. Their fur seemed to reflect their surroundings and mirrored the brilliant red of the desert rock. Beastboy stood with his mouth agape, while the others looked on with a little more integrity.

Robin shook his head in disbelief, "they're beautiful, Star, what are they?"

Starfire smiled and began to climb over the hill, "they are _ter'ryonals,_ or Earth Echoers. Their fur is of every color so that they may blend into the world around them."

Raven gave Starfire a look, "what are you going to do, won't you scare them?"

Starfire smiled and shook her head, "do you wish to feed them? You must be very quiet for a moment."

A wicked grin spread across Robin's face, "you're kidding?"  
Starfire shook her head as she lifted a small rock and picked some dense vegetation that had grown beneath it, " _ter'ryonals_ are only fearful of you if you give them a reason to fear you _._ They are also very particular creatures." She began twisting the vegetation around her hands, a blue juice began to drip out, "they will only be fed their favorite."

She offered a handful of the plant to each of her friends, then motioned for them to stay for a moment.

She began to approach the side of the plain where the creatures stood. They had taken a keen interest in her, their noses twitching as they sniffed her. She cooed at them in Tamaranean and their short bushy tails wagged for a moment. She knelt and a particularly brave female wandered over to her, sniffing Starfire's hair, face, then finally her hands. The creature began to eat out of Starfire's hand. Starfire began stoking the creature's neck and called for her friends. Once they reached her side, Starfire spoke,

"This is the… I believe you refer to them as alpha?"

Raven nodded, Starfire continued,

"this is the alpha female. The others will now be much more accepting of our gifts." She smiled sweetly at the strange animal who was now rubbing against her shoulder.

Beastboy laughed as one of the creatures tickled his palm as they ate, "they're so cool, Starfire! What are they? Earth Echoers? Is that what you said?"  
Starfire nodded and scratched behind the ear of the alpha, while another licked her other hand free of the blue juice, "they are quite sweet when they perceive that you are not a threat."

Raven look toward her friend, "are they not usually this nice?" She reached to pet the head of the creature in front of her, but they barked, bearing their teeth, and the herd ran several paces from the Titans.

Raven's eyes were wide, "I guess not?"

Starfire sighed at the now far creatures and put a hand on her friend's shoulder, "they are very sensitive creatures. Rege'v had one as a companion. They can sense even a small change in the energy around a person, but they are often unsure of how to react. Though they are very intelligent, they are sometimes not the best judge of the character."

Raven looked to Starfire, "so my energy… was strange?"

Starfire smiled sadly, "they are used to interacting with a people who rely on emotions to function even in the smallest of ways and-"

Raven nodded in understanding, "they weren't sure who… or what I was?"

Starfire smiled, "they are cautious, but terrifying creatures when they need to be. _Ter'ryonals_ kill about fourteen Tamaraneans an earthen year."

Starfire coolly walked away while her friends stood aghast.

Beastboy was the first to squeak out a word, "wait, so we could have just died?!"

Starfire turned and cocked her head, "I would never endanger my friends. If we were in danger, I would have been warned as I approach. They are very fair, they alert you of their intentions quite early."

Starfire continued walking the direction they had gone before, and Robin ran to her side, "but they kill fourteen of your people a year… You don't stop them or anything?"

Starfire furrowed her brow, "when they kill a Tamaranean, it is often in defense of their herd. It is clear in our laws that they are not to be hunted, or captured as… 'pets' but many still attempt to do so."

Cyborg huffed, "but you just said that Rege'v had one as a pet."

Starfire shook her head, "as a companion. On Tamaran if there is a creature who wants to spend their days with you, they shall find you. It is growing quite rare on Tamaran though. After the war with the Citadel many species were lost. Gordanians thought it a sport to kill as many creatures as they could. Most of the…animals that were once native to Tamaran are extinct, or they have distanced themselves as far away as possible."

Beastboy was looking at the ground, sadness etched on his features, "that's so sad."

Raven rubbed his back quickly and awkwardly, then spoke to Starfire, "did you have a pe-companion?"  
Starfire nodded happily, "yes. A _y'huryn_. They are somewhat similar to your earthen foxes… if they were larger. Her name was Nav'rn."

Cyborg sighed, "was?"

Starfire nodded sadly, "I am unsure what became of her after I was taken to the Citadel. It is a shame, she had been my friend for nearly half of my life.I asked Galore what became of her, but he was unsure." Starfire touched a large rock, her hand was slightly wet, "we are near the _Barseneol_ hills. This way." Starfire floated and offered Robin her hand, he took it gratefully while Raven lifted the other two onto a disk of her magic.

Once they reached the top of the rock formation, the eyes of the titans widened. It was unlike anything they had seen on Earth. There was a small pool of turquoise water surrounded by small, dark blue plants that looked similar to an ivy plant. Hills of these plants continued on, seemingly for miles. The mountains on the horizon were pink and orange in the midday suns. Starfire placed Robin gently on the ground, the plants were soft beneath his feet, like tall, lush grass.

Starfire reached down, picking one of the plants, and handed it to Raven, "this is _j'ukton._ It is similar in taste to your black tea, but there is an aftertaste similar to…" She looked to Robin, "I believe they are called pineapples?"

Robin smiled and nodded.

Raven sniffed the plant and shrugged, "I mean, I guess it won't hurt anything, right?"

Starfire smiled and picked some more of the plants, placing them in a cloth bag she had tied onto her belt, "Galfore has been having some trouble sleeping as of late, I believe he will appreciate this. If you do enjoy the tea tonight Raven, please alert me and we shall retrieve some before we return home tomorrow."

Raven squeezed the stem of the plant and rubbed the dark blue nectar between her fingers, "will these dry alright?"

Starfire cocked her head, " _j'ukton_ can be kept for years without doing the drying out. I do not believe they will be a problem"

Robin nodded, "so they retain water well?"  
Starfire nodded, "they are in the bloom now, once the _J'ukton Ayndre_ dries, the _j'ukton_ will close and survive until the _ayndre_ is full again."

Raven nodded, "so they take in as much water as they can as long as that pond is there?"

Starfire nodded.

Raven shook her head, "I didn't know how strong this planet was, Star. The people, the animals, even the plants. I'm glad we know now."

Starfire smiled, "I am glad to show my friends Tamaran. Or what it is that is left."

Robin took her hand, "a lot of is it gone?"  
Starfire nodded, "there were many hills such as this, but they were all destroyed. We are hoping that if we keep tending to the land, they will return. They may still, yet."

Starfire smiled, "I do not believe I have ever shown you the palace kitchen. Shall we?"

###

The titans sat in the alleged kitchen. There were many strange tools and devices hanging from the wall. Even the stoves, or what they guessed were stoves, looked strange. They were basically just large metal boxes with holes that fire shot out of. Starfire stood stirring a large pot of the _j'ukton_ tea on one of the strange 'stoves'. The smell was warm and enticing, yet surprisingly sweet. The dark blue beverage seemed to shimmer as it rolled and boiled in the pot.

"Okay, Star, I have to admit, if that tea tastes half as good as it smells, I may be hooked." Raven smirked towards Starfire.

"It is a delicacy on Tamaran, if there is one dish that you enjoy from my home, I will be most satisfied." Starfire bowed her head slightly and smiled.

"Have you made them your _i'rishan_?" Blackfire's voice came from the doorway. She grabbed and took a bite out of what seemed to be an apple and sat beside Cyborg.

Starfire shook her head, "I am still not sure what the earthen substitutes are, sister."

Robin raised an eyebrow, "what's _i'rishan_?"

"It is similar to your cakes, I suppose." Starfire seemed to shrug off the question, "my mother taught me to make them."

Blackfire shook her head eagerly, "whenever Kori would visit me on Okaraa she would bring me one. Mother's were always delicious, but Kori's were somehow better."

Beastboy sighed and pouted, "it sounds delicious…"

Starfire giggled, "the i'rishan is made of plant and fruit nectars and grains, it is quite the vegan-friendly."

Beastboy stood and seemed to hop around Starfire, "so you gonna make it?"

Starfire giggled and Blackfire spoke, "they take about one of your weeks to make. You have to drain the nectars, quick-age the grains, soak the plant roots, dehydrate the fruits. It's a process."

Beastboy's ears drooped.

Starfire sighed, "I shall collect the ingredients tomorrow and attempt to create the dish at home."

Beastboy did a dramatic thumbs up and danced around the kitchen.

"You guys are leaving soon?" Blackfire seemed upset, "did you and Robin find everything you needed?"

Starfire went back to stirring the tea and furrowed her brow, "I fear I still have more questions than answers. I am unsure how Slade had discovered so much from the book, sister. It is nearly impossible to read."

Blackfire sighed, "I'm not sure either, if I'm being honest. He seemed to know more about our culture than I did. It was much more stuff than Ry would have been able to tell him."

Robin clenched his fist," he was always on step ahead of us somehow."

Cyborg sighed, "he can't hurt anyone anymore."

Starfire's head suddenly snapped to the only window in the kitchen, and Blackfire's eyes followed.

Robin stood,"What is i-"

He was promptly shushed by Blackfire, who was closely watching her sister, who was walking towards the window. Blackfire stood, turned off the stove and joined her sister, "what is it?"

Starfire shook her head, "it sounds as though it is…" Starfire's eyes widened in horror, " _tark'r."_

The sound of gunfire raged the quiet planet. A large ship overhead blocked out the sky. Wildfire suddenly ran to the titans, "what's going on, who is it?"

Blackfire held her sister's shoulders.

Starfire closed her eyes, "it is the Citadel."


	30. Chapter 30

_I went back and revised 29, I made a lot of mistakes sorry about that. Because I've been so absent from this story, I've decided to add on what I was planning on happening in the sequel. I can't see the sequel happening this year, so it will all be one story._

 _I hope you enjoy, and I hope I can get these chapters out at least somewhat reasonably soon._

 _Possible trigger warning, Starfire has a sort of anxiety attack towards the end of this chapter.. If that triggers you, please scroll to the bottom after the third break(###) . I will summarize what you skipped._

###

Starfire felt blank, she was empty. She thought about the lives that were already lost, those she was already too late to save. Starfire reached the tall doors leading to the Great Hall and pushed them open without hesitation. Guards were pacing, while council members were sat at the table in the center hall, but all conversation stopped when the titans entered, Starfire looked at her friends briefly then began to speak directly to Galfore,

 _"Galfore, I request guards to escort my friends off of this planet safely-"_ Blackfire attempted to argue her, but Starfire held up a hand to silence her sister, " _-and I then request a meeting with you privately. I know how the Citadel live and fight. I know how to stop this."_

Robin looked between his girlfriend and her _k'norfka._ Starfire never spoke Tamaranean like this around them, she thought it was rude to leave her friends out of the conversation. He looked briefly at Blackfire, but she was looking at the ground,

Galfore bowed his head slightly, gesturing for Starfire to sit beside him, " _we are in a council, princess. Your aid would be most appreciated. Your conditions are already underway."_

Starfire nodded and spoke English, "is there any report on how many are invading?"  
A council member looked between Starfire and Galfore, Galfore nodded, " _we believe at least two thousand, Princess. If not more."_

Starfire exhaled gently in an attempt to remain expressionless, while Wildfire sank against the wall. Robin looked at Starfire's brother and shook his head. This was not good.

Starfire closed her eyes and spoke, _"do we have any indication of the casualties so far?"_

Galfore cleared his throat, " _at least fifty dead, Princess, and counting. The Citadel are using their scouting ships to flyover the ghrek lands killing all movement."_

Starfire nodded, " _I shall head east and cut them off. Is there a way we could direct the fire to the west? I shall herd them to you."_

A council member stood angrily, " _Princess, with all due respect, you fought a concentrated amount of the citadel on that ship, not nearly enough to justify you leading the attack."_

Starfire stood as well, _"with all due respect, Council Member R'kel, I am the only Tamaranean to have fought the Citadel on their land, single handedly and return victorious, perhaps I have some justification to lead here."_

A separate council member stood, " _you bring aliens into a war discussion, and you question us."_

Starfire's was unphased, " _I believe the council has been question many times before this day."_

The council member bared his teeth, _"there were days where a female would have never spoken to us in that manner."_

Now Galfore stood, his voice booming, "there was also a time when Tamaran fell into anarchy after hearing the news of the princess's death. _She is a well respected warrior, beloved, and trusted. She has fought many challenging battles on Earth, and in her time alone in the outskirts Juyren system. Perhaps we should focus on the battle before us instead of what a 'female' can and cannot do, Y'trew"_

Starfire spoke again, nodding at Galfore, " _If I am able to cut the warriors off in the area between the Ghrek and the Hushr lands, I may be able to destroy their smaller, scouting ships… They are easily attacked from above. Then I would lead them to the Qwyr'k lands where our warriors await in the hills to ambush from above."_

Galfore nodded, "and how confident are you in your ability to accomplish this?"

Hearing English again, Robin and the team perked up. He had been attempting to use facial expressions to help him translate. Wildfire was useless at the moment, and Blackfire was watching the discussion with a troubling look on her face.

Starfire bit a lip and raised a brow looking at a map in front of her, "very much so, but they are fast. We need to move very soon."

Galfore closed his eyes and pinched the bridge between his nose, " _are you certain this is our only option?"_

Starfire nodded, sensing the cause of his distress, _"Yes, it limits the casualties, and I have seen these ships before. Their engines are quite flammable."_

Galfore nodded, " _begin preparations. Move our warriors to the Qwyr'k Hills."_

Starfire stepped down from the large table and Galfore followed. Starfire approached her friends. She began to play with her hands, "it is no longer safe on Tamaran. Galfore is arranging for a guard to assist you in leaving the planet. They will find a safe place for you to depart."

Robin furrowed his brow, "what?"

Raven stepped forward, "Starfire, we're not leaving you here. We're not leaving you to fight alone."

Starfire looked at her friends, "Cyborg? Do you recall when you went the 'back in time' and you met Sarasom?"

Cyborg nodded, "yes."

Starfire closed her eyes, "you recall what you told us about the war?"

Cryborg sighed, "Star, it was hard to watch, but-"

Blackfire spoke now, "It will be much worse."

Cyborg glared at Blackfire, but Starfire spoke, "they fought strange creatures, yes?"  
Cyborg looked at Starfire gently and nodded, "the Gordanians, they are monsters in the darkest meaning of the word. They will tear victims apart, eat them, rape them… there was a Gordanian aboard the ship where I was prisoner that collected the faces and eyes of his slaves while they were alive…. Fighting the Brain was very much different… The Citadel… should you do the 'missing of the step'…. They will find a way to make you beg for death."

Raven's insides quivered, Starfire sounded so defeated. Her voice was so small; this is not the girl that had been commanding an army a moment ago. This was the girl who knew war, and death. This was the Starfire none of them knew.

Robin stepped forward, "we can do it."

Starfire shook her head, "I do not want you to. Robin, we have all known many terrible things in our lives, but I am not allowing you to witness this." Starfire looked at Wildfire, she knelt beside him, and pushed his hair out of his face, "Ryand'r, I know you do not like them, but you must enter _r'dernve_ tonight."

Wildfire shook his head and grabbed Starfire's hand, "the last time I went into the _shex'halven_ room, I found out you were gone. I fear I'm going to find out worse this time."

Starfire hugged Wildfire close, "though they are persistent, they have been unable to kill me so far. And, if I am correct, we still have many _j'huta_ lessons before us."

Wildfire shook his head, "we're abandoning you again."

Starfire shook her head, "you and Kom are serving Tamaran by remaining safe. Tamaran needs you both alive."

Robin's head shot toward Blackfire, "you're not fighting either?"

Blackfire shook her head, "I can't. An heir hasn't been declared yet. The only And'r they know won't be ruling is-"

"-Starfire." Robin interjected this darkly. Tamaran was willing to sacrifice Starfire yet again, "we can't leave you Starfire, not to fight this alone. We're not leaving you to fight in what you just described. It's no-"

A loud rumble rocked the room,  
"Princess," A guard approached, "we must move quickly."

Starfire nodded, "you must go, now."

Wildfire and Blackfire bolted from the room with a hoard of guards surrounding them.

Guards began pushing the titans to the door. They twisted and fought against the guards but Galfore stopped them, "she cannot train you. Time is too short. You will be in danger out there, and she will die protecting you all. You must leave to keep her safe."

Robin continued to struggle, "then you train us, someone train us. Starfire, we're not leaving you!"

But Starfire had already left the room.

###

"We just left her."

"Robin, what were we supposed to do? Try to fight and end up getting her killed? You know she would put us way before herself out there. She wouldn't stand a chance with us there." Cyborg's heart was heavy, and he felt sick to his stomach, but he continued on the path leading out of Tamaran's atmosphere.

"You don't know that." Robin had already punched every wall of the ship and had then moved on to just pacing and tearing himself apart on the inside.

Raven sighed, "yes we do. We all do. YOU do. We've fought a lot of battles Robin. But never a war. Never a Tamaranean war. We wouldn't last a minute without her."

Robin sank against a wall, "what if she dies?"

Cyborg sniffed, "we're not going all the way home alright? We're going to that planet Blackfire showed us, and we're gonna wait. We're not going more than fifty miles away. As soon as we get word from Wildfire that it's safe, we're right back to her. Alright? We're not going home without her."

Raven wiped a tear from her eye and focused and keeping the connection to her best friend.

###

Starfire's entire being burned. The scouting ships were burning behind her, their occupants evacuating. She had flown in above and crashed through to the engine room. Before the Gordanians could do anything, she had shot a starbolt at the engine, sending the burning ships into the other ships, then into the ground. There she lay. She felt the scorched bits of skin on her, she felt her blood boiling, her ears were ringing. She sat up slowly, black spots in her vision. She had no idea how hard she had hit the ground, or what had happened after the first collision. Suddenly a roar pulled her from her thoughts, a Gordanian had spotted her. They were beginning their charge.

Starfire shot into the air, her head woozy. She looked at the moons, calculating the direction she should go the same way she had once done as a child. Starfire flew west at a pace that the Gordanians could keep with. Lazers and spears shot by her head, but she kept flying. A spear nicked her cheek, and thin line appearing. Blood began to drip down her cheek.

 _"I can smell your blood, Troq! I can only imagine the taste."_

A chill ran through Starfire as she heard the Gordanian speak in his native tongue. A metallic taste filled her mouth and fear shook her bones. Starfire could feel her joy fading, she was sinking lower to the ground. Starfire gritted her teeth and picked up her pace. She could see the hills on the horizon.

The ground was slowly approaching as Starfire's flight continued to weaken. The sound of the pounding stomps of the Gordanians mixed with the loud ringing in her ear. The black spots were filling her vision. She cursed herself aloud. This had happened when she fought the Gordanians with the titans as well. She felt as though she could not breathe. She felt as though there was no way she could succeed. She felt as though everyone she loved was going to die.

Starfire's face skid against the gravel and sand. Scraping against her skin. The footsteps grew louder, the ringing was unbearable. But there was a new sound. Starfire recognized the battle cry of her people. She squinted through the black spots in her vision to see her people pouring from the hills. Starfire rose to her knees as her people flew by her. She heard them fighting. Cutting and tearing.

Suddenly a hiss sounded in her ears and she felt two large jaws clamp down onto her shoulder.

###

 _If you skipped all you missed was Starfire destroying the ships, being persued, then being injured by a Gordanian. He bit her near her neck. That's it!_


	31. Chapter 31

_Hey guys. Thank you for the major support I've received on this story. I promise I will finish it up for you guys soon. I'm thinking that, in honor of Suicide Squad coming out this coming week, I'll put a special, little cameo/scene in a later chapter. It just depends on what you guys think! Let me know if you guys would NOT like that please._

 _This is a very long chapter. Sorry about that._

 _Another note to the readers. I do not picture the Gordanians as they were in "GO". In the comics, they look much more like lizards. They have large snake like jaws with sharp reptilian teeth. They are a very similar colour scheme, but they have MUCH, MUCH larger jaws._

 _*Also, if any reader wants to design a cover for this, please let me know! That would be amazing. And of course(!) you would get full credit in the story description! If you have questions please feel free to private message me!_

 _###_

Raven's eyes shot open as a scream escaped her throat. Beastboy was by her side in an instant followed by Robin and Cyborg. They had just landed on the planet when Raven had felt it. The tearing through her shoulder, and what felt like acid radiating through her veins.

Nothing had happened to her.

It was Starfire.

Something had happened to Starfire.

"Raven, what is it?!" Beastboy knelt next to Raven, her eyes were vacant. It was not a good sign.

"S-" Raven swallowed hard, "it's Starfire… I'm not sure WHAT that was." Raven looked up at Robin, "I felt it, it hurt Robin. It was unlike anything I had felt before… it's…"

Robin's eyes were wide, "what? It's what?"

Raven shook her head, "it was worse than her starbolts."

"we're going back." Robin began to head to the control room.

Cyborg regained his composure, his voice was monotonous, "we don't know if it's safe yet, Rob. We might not be able to even land."

Robin continued on, "I don't care."

A tear fell down Raven's cheek and her eyes became vacant and cloudy. Beastboy called her name gently,

Cyborg blocked Robin's path, "Robin, we're not doin' her any good driving staring into an ambush. I want to go back too, but we can't. You know her, she's fighting through this, if we're there, she's as good as dead."

Beastboy called Raven's name again.

Robin walked around Cyborg, "That's exactly why we're going back! She shouldn't fight through this! We have to get her home!"

"Robin, there's a war going on, we're not gonna be able to land."

Robin tuned and got into Cyborg's face, "THEN I'LL CRASH THE FUCKING SHIP."

"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP?" Beastboy's rage took over as he looked at his friends, he then turned back to Raven, "Raven what is it?"

Cyborg looked at Raven, "shit."

Both boys ran to the empath's side and knelt beside her. Robin spoke, "Raven? C'mon, what do you see?"

Raven shook her head, "nothing."

Cyborg stood, "what?"

Raven looked up at Beastboy, "I can't feel her."

Robin stood, "we're going back."

###

Starfire was floating. She was remembering. Everything.

She could remember the first time she opened her eyes. Her mother's hair tickling her chin, her mother's eyes staring down at her with unconditional affection, Starfire gripping her finger. She could remember the first time she laughed, when her sister tickled her stomach, Kom's violet eyes twinkling with joy and wonder. She felt Ryand'r's weight in her arms as she held him for the first time, smiling in his sleep.

She remembered the yelling. Father angry at the people, fearing a coup.

She felt the burn on her cheek after her father slapped her for interrupting his council.

She remembered Okaara. Pushing herself to her brink, then beyond that. Her raw muscles, aching fists, healing wounds, scars, bruises. She remembered Reg'v. The girl's pure joy when Starfire finally blocked an energy properly. Starfire remembered the smell of her flesh burning on the pyre. Reg'v's companion animal's cries as Reg'v was taken to X'hal.

Starfire shuddered, she could feel the Psions' needles in her skin once again. She could feel the raging fire in her veins. The screams of her sister. The blood of her brother on one of the operating tables.

The Citadel. Starfire could remember that clearly. The white walls of the ship blinding her. The putrid smell of slaves that had died, soiled themselves, and that lay bleeding upon the floor.

The memories shifted to a bright space. Titans tower. She remembered meeting her friends for the first time. Beastboy's contagious laugh, Cyborg's strong hugs, Raven's cool and soothing hands on her shoulders, and Robin's smile, Richard's eyes.

Starfire remembered her time on Earth. Robin's face when she walked in the room naked during her first full day on Earth, Raven's giggle when she first heard Starfire use the word 'fuck'.

She remembered playing fetch with Beastboy, clearly ignoring the amount of slobber on the tennis ball, scratching his ears every time he brought it back, lifting the T-Car for Cyborg, the many times he had told her that it was okay she was different, Raven taking her to the library in an attempt to teach her Arabic without using her gift. She remembered the first time she flew with Robin in her arms. His giddy smile and excited hoots.

Then the memories began to burn, turn red. She heard the screams of her friends, her sister, her family, her mother. Starfire watched the world around her fade into darkness and fire. She stood,

"Hello? Please? Anyone?" Starfire called desperately, "Friends? Raven? Richard? Mother?"

The air around her crackled with heat.

She rose into the air and began to fly into the cool nothingness. Suddenly behind her, a wall of fire grew, Starfire could see the faces of her friends in the flames. Starfire gasped and turned into the flames, desperate to get her friends out.

She felt the fire creeping up her skin, a shriek ripped from her throat. She continued into the flames, her friends always just out of her reach. She flew on. The pain only growing. Suddenly the flames disappeared and darkness overtook her.

The first thing Starfire smelled was blood. It was strong, near. Her ears twitched and began to pick up the sound of moaning and crying. There was an intense pain in her shoulder, it seemed to burn worse than the fires she had just flown through. She ground her teeth and reached for her wound, only to hit the metal covering covering it.

"Guys, she's awake!" A hoard of footsteps surrounded her.  
Starfire opened her eyes and sat up, she recognized that voice, "Raven?!"

Her eyes had not adjusted to the light, she still saw only dark spots, a strong hand gently pushed her back onto the bed while a colder one rubber her hair,

"Shhh, Star. We're here."

"Richard?" Starfire's eyes were slowly adjusting. She knew where she was. This was the healing room.

Robin's face came into her sight. There he was. A small, relieved smile on his face, his mask on tight and… "you are injured?"

Robin had a large gash down his cheek, it had been healed slightly already, as she could tell it had once been much deeper. She sat up again slowly, and looked in the direction of where she had heard Raven's voice. Raven stood, a metal bandage around her leg, just above her knee, bruising on her face. Cyborg's human side had many small cuts on it. And dents in the robotic parts. Beastboy's skin was more purple than green. Starfire looked between her friends, "please, you were not to come back here until it was safe, friends? What has happened to you?"

Robin sat on Starfire's bed by her legs, he took her hand and kissed it, "you got hurt, really badly, Star. We had to come back. Raven couldn't sense you. We were really worried."

Starfire shook her head and touched the gash on Robin's face gently, "what has happened?"

Robin looked away and Raven approached the bed, "Star, we're not sure what happened to you... all we know is we landed back on Tamaran about nineteen hours after we left. I couldn't reach you anymore. You were just gone. When we landed we were ambushed. Cyborg used the sonic cannon he installed on the ship to fight most of the Gordanians off, but once we left the ship three of them attacked us. They were so… violent… they managed to get a few strong attacks it, but Galfore spotted us and brought them down…"

Beastboy's eyes were looking off into the distance, "I had never seen anyone… just kill like that… there was so much blood." Cyborg gently shushed him and scratched Beastboy's head to comfort him. Raven continued,

"He had said he just brought you to the… 'healing room' and sent us there. He was pretty angry that we came back without permission… I've been healing everyone that I could ever since… it's been about three days, Star. You've been out for a while… Do you remember what happened?"

Starfire looked away from her friends and around the room. Bodies were throughout the room. Beds were filled so most were on the floor. Some breathing, some bleeding, and some no longer doing either. Starfire stood from her bed. The titans blocked her quickly,

"Listen, Sis, you've been out for three days. You need to stay down." Cyborg stood in front of her.

Starfire shook her head, "it is alright, Cyborg." She walked around her friends and knelt next to a girl somewhat younger than herself, the young girl had lost her leg,

" _Greetings. Please, may I be of assistance?"_

The young girl opened her eyes, a small, weak smile on her lips, " _Princess? Have you passed? Has the Angel of Light come to take me to X'hal?"_

Starfire fought back the tears prickling her eyes, " _no, young one. You are very much alive. And you shall remain so. Come here now."_

Starfire gently lifted the girl and moved her onto her now vacant bed. The young girl put her hand on Starfire's cheek, _"why has this happened, Princess? My sister… she is gone."_

Starfire put her hand over the young girl's, " _I do not know. I do not understand why these things happen"_ Starfire began to feel the eyes of her friends, as well as those of the others who were awake in the healing room, " _but this has, as it did before. I know we have lost many, and I fear that we may lose many more. I know that our fields are no longer green, and that our lakes have been tainted with blood. But here we are. We are enduring as we have before. We will rebuild as we have before. My mother always told me that Tamaran would never burn as long as its people had blood in their bodies. She told me that we not only fight for ourselves, but that we fight for the others in our system who cannot. I have learned that there is not stone, no metal, and no tragedy that a Tamaran cannot fight through. Please, what is your name?"_

The young girl allowed a tear to escape, " _Jhalr'z"_

Starfire kissed her forehead, " _You have fought hard, Jhalr'z, and now it is time for you to rest. Sleep. You are safe here. I swear it."_

Jhalr'z closed her eyes, Starfire ran her hand gently through the girl's short dark hair, then turned to her friends. They wore sad and shocked expressions on their faces.

"Please, where is Galfore? I need to speak with him."


	32. Chapter 32

_This was supposed to be in the same chapter as the last but I guess it wouldn't upload, so double whammy._

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Starfire walked though the main hallway. Her friends walking diligently beside her. Robin cleared his throat and spoke first, "Starfire, what happened to you? When we saw you they already had that huge bandage on your shoulder, they wouldn't let us take it off for Raven to heal you, they barely let her heal the burns and scratches you had all over you."

Starfire bit her lip, "I am not sure. It is difficult to remember." Starfire felt badly for lying to them. She did not want them to know that she had almost died while taking down the ships of the Citadel, nor did she want them to know about the bite. She rubbed her shoulder through the metal bandage. It was similar to the one that had been on her arm, but was much larger.

Robin gestured to her shoulder and arm, "I didn't know those were bandages. They don't seem very comfortable."

Starfire smiled at him, "they are made so that those who are not mortally injured can battle again. They will not move, nor will they fall off."

Raven shook her leg slightly, "it doesn't feel like it will."

"What has happened to you Raven?" Starfire stopped and knelt to inspect Raven's leg.

Raven pulled on the bandage in an attempt to get it off of her, "it's healed now, but I don't speak Tamaranean and I have no idea how to get this damn thing off."

Starfire smiled and slipped her finger between the skin of Raven's leg and the metal, she felt for the thinner part of the metal then pulled quickly. The metal snapped.

Raven smiled, "thanks. I was starting to think that those just don't come off."

Starfire was about to speak, but Beastboy chimed in, "if these come off, why don't you take yours off Starfire?"  
Starfire stood quickly, "I am still healing, I must keep this on until then."

Raven gave her a strange look, "I can heal it, I'm sure I can make it so it won't even scar."  
Starfire smiled sweetly and began walking to the Great Hall once again, "perhaps later, Raven. I must speak to Galfore now."

Raven's brow furrowed. Starfire knew that she would want to speak about the wound later.

Starfire could still feel them. She could still feel the teeth tearing into her shoulders and near her neck. She could feel the venom in her veins, the burning that wouldn't stop. Starfire was sure that Raven could heal it, and stop it from scarring, but then she would have to see it. She would be able to trace each tooth mark from Starfire's shoulder, to her navel. She shuddered inwardly at the thought.

Starfire reached the doors and pushed them open. Ryand'r and Komand'r stood, speaking to Galfore.

Wildfire was the first to see her, "Kori! You're okay!" Wildfire lifted her into the air and spun her, "Galfore didn't tell us what happened to you. Are you okay?"

Starfire nodded, "I shall be as good as the new soon. Galfore, there are so many in the healing room."

Galfore stood and walked towards Starfire, taking her face in his hand, "yes, I know, my little bumgorf. And there would have been many more had it not been for you."

Starfire smiled at him, " _I heard you have protected my friends. I am in your debt Galfore."_

Glafore looked up towards the titans. A slight anger in his features, "I told them to remain safe and off of Tamaran until I could ensure their safety, apparently, they could not even wait a _raskar."_

Robin looked towards the ground while the others looked sheepish.

Galfore continued to look, "it was almost as though they knew you were injured."

Starfire bit her lip and spoke, "is there a way a may assistance again Galfore? I fear I have missed much. I desire to help."

Galfore allowed a slight smile, "your mission allowed us to defeat the majority that had attacked. I have sent out some _hjur't_ to finish off the rest. They should be returning soon. I will summon you then. Go rest in your quarters for now. I will summon you when they arrive. They deserve the thanks of the royal family.

Starfire bowed and began to leave the Great Hall, Blackfire flew beside her and walked out with Starfire and her friends,

"Has Raven looked at that yet?" Blackfire pulled on Starfire's bandage and furrowed her brown when her sister pulled away.

"She has not been given the proper opportunity." Starfire's voice was small.

Blackfire sighed and grabbed Starfire by her shoulder, she fell to her knees.

Robin slapped Blackfire's hand away and knelt next to his girlfriend, "Starfire? Are you alright?"

Cyborg blocked Blackfire from Robin and Starfire while Raven and Beastboy knelt next to Robin.

Raven began to pull on the bandage, "does it hurt that badly, Star?"

Blackfire was inspecting her nails, "I wouldn't do it here, she has to take off her armor to get to the rest of it."

Robin look at Starfire, shocked, "Star, what happened?"

Starfire bit her lip, "please, the Tamaranean healers can take care of it."

Robin furrowed his brow and looked at Blackfire, "How bad is it, Kom?"

Blackfire looked shocked at the use of her nickname but spoke, "I'd say it goes from shoulder to stomach, it's probably… an eight on the pain scale for anyone else, and I'd say there's still some venom in there too, huh sis?"

"venom?!"

Starfire shook her head, "Galfore told you? But Ry did not know…"

Robin picked Starfire up, "we're getting you healed, NOW."

Starfire flinched at the use of his leader voice, but kept her eyes on Blackfire, "sister?"

Blackfire sighed, "I took you from Galfore and brought you to the healing room."

Starfire sighed and put her arms around Robin's neck and rested her head in his neck as he walked her to Raven's room, "I do not believe you will desire to be in the room when we take the bandage off, Richard."

Robin sighed, "is it that bad, Star? You were already in pretty rough shape when we saw you, and that bandage was already on."

Starfire bit her lip, "it is up to you, _dy iliuni."_

Cyborg held the door open for Robin, and he set Starfire on Raven's bed.

Raven sat on the bed next to Starfire, "we need to take off your armor."

Cyborg and Beastboy headed for the door, "we'll wait out here."

Raven looked at Robin then at Starfire, "so are you staying then, Robin?"

Robin sat on the other side of the bed, "if she's okay with it."

Starfire began fiddling with her armored gorget, her shoulder screamed in agony when she lifted it, "I may require assistance."

Robin began to undo the gorget as he had so many times before. He peeled it away from her, the other layers of armor attached to the gorget falling away. The bandage underneath was revealed, covering most of her abdomen save her left stomach, shoulder, and breast. Raven exhaled through gritted teeth, "that's a much bigger bandage than mine."

Raven began to pull on it, and it slowly began to peel away, revealing the large, deep bite mark. Raven stifled a gasp and began healing, and Robin gritted his teeth.

He moved to the top of the bed and stroked her hair, "god, Star, what happened?"

Starfire bit her lip, "I had lost my ability to fly, and the gordanian did the catching up to me. I did not notice him behind me until it was too late."

Robin took her left hand, "you lost your ability to fly? How, Star?"  
Raven felt Satfire's anxiety and immediately changed the subject, "Blackfire said something about venom, Star. Should we be worried?"

Starfire shook her head, "though the venom remains in my system, it is fading. Gordanian venom is... strange."

Robin ran his fingers over the line Raven had healed, though it was raised for now, it would heal without scarring, "what is the venom? What does it do?"

Starfire bit her lip and furrowed her brow, "I find it difficult to explain… All gordanians are born with venom. It is used to paralyze their victims so that they may consume them without difficulty," Raven shuddered at this, "But the Citadel soon realized that they could alter the venom. There are many different strains of Gordanian venom. Some can blind, some can kill, and we have reason to believe that there is a strain that can make one's limbs disintegrate from the inside to the out."

Robin released a shuddering breath, "which did you get?"

Starfire smiled sadly, "mine was the one that may kill."

Raven's eyes widened, "so is there any particular reason that you're not dead, or are we just some very lucky titans?"

Starfire bit her lip in remembrance, "there are many ways that one can learn to fight gordanian venom, the two I have experienced came from Okaara and my time in the Citadel. With the discipline we gain to control our energies on Okaara, we can usually apply to many other situations. For example, we have had much practice in fighting of the effects of _j'uktonc_ that had been altered and made fatal." Starfire's eyes became glazed over as she remembered her time in the Citadel, "Gordanians often found it fun to inject their slaves with milder forms of their experimental venom that would otherwise be used on each other. In the milder form, it is easy to learn how to combat its effects."

Robin squeezed her hand, but said nothing.

Raven looked between the two, "do you think you could fight the effects of any poison or drug?"

Starfire furrowed her brow, "I believe I may be able to. So far in my experiences, Earthen toxins are not as strong."

Robin remembered when the Titans went to the 'Rumors' Dance Club for Beastboy's eighteenth birth day, "is that why the Rohypnol that guy slipped you had no effect?" Robin had remembered punching that guy out when he tested Starfire's drink after she said it had tasted funny.

Starfire furrowed her brow, "if I am being the honest, the only indication there was something awry with my beverage was a strange taste, so I believe that Tamaranean sedatives may be much stronger than those found on Earth. I am still thankful that my drink was targeted instead of some one different."

Robin looked at the celling for a moment. Starfire's purity was too much for a moment. Her self-sacrificial ways, though more harmless on Earth, were deadly here. He let out a few slow breaths, releasing the sadness he felt.

Starfire sat up for a moment, stopping Raven from healing her front for a moment, and took Robin's face in her hands. Raven sighed and began healing Starfire's back. Starfire spoke, "Robin, please, why are you sad?"

Robin looked to Raven who shrugged, then sighed, "Starfire, you're getting hurt. You've been in more danger in the last two weeks than you've ever been with us. And we haven't been able to do a thing to stop any of it. But during all this time, instead of being scared for yourself for even a damn second, you've been worried about us, about strangers, hell even about my asshole father."

Starfire looked down for a moment, but Robin put his finger under her chin to raise her face back up to him, "Star, angel, listen. I'm not angry at you. No one is. We're just scared we don't know how to help you, or protect you. I know you're not the one who really needs protecting, but we want to help. We want to at least take some of this pain away. You have to let us in, you have to let us help you."

Raven sighed, "it's not her fault Robin."

Robin kissed Starfire's forehead, "I know it's just how she is."

Raven shook her head, "I'm talking about the not telling us stuff part. Why do you think she does that? Why do you think she lost her flight?"

Starfire pushed out her bottom lip, "I am still present, Raven."

Raven gritted her teeth and continued healing her, "Starfire, do they recognize mental illness on Tamaran?"

Starfire looked at Robin, "yes, we have many the injuries of the head."

Robin released a slight chuckle and held Starfire close, "No, Star, this is on the inside of the brain. Emotions, things like that."

Starfire shook her head, "I do not believe so."

Raven sighed, "she has anxiety attacks. She's had one before around me. She lost flight and everything. She wouldn't talk about it. She's afraid it would hurt us in some way… in any way."

Robin held Starfire tight, and recalled what she had told him about her childhood, her experiences. He kicked himself for not asking her things like this before.

Starfire shook her head, "I do not understand. I am sick?"

Raven hugged Starfire from behind, "yes, but I'll help you."

Starfire's eyes widened and she covered her mouth and nose, "am I contagious?"

Robin grinned and shook his head, removing her hands, "no, you're perfect, angel." He looked at her more seriously, and if you ever need to talk to me or any of us, don't feel like you're hurting us, okay? I know it's hard not to think like that, but we're your friends we're here to make you feel better too."

Starfire furrowed her brow but nodded.

Raven began gently pushing Starfire down, "I finished your back, time to finish the rest of this."

Raven gestured to the rest of Starfire's wound around her navel.

Starfire nodded and laid back.

Raven spoke again, "no funny business until the skin is no longer raised," she pointed her finger at Robin, "oh I before I forget," Raven reached over and healed Robin's face, the rest of the slash healing shut.

Robin nodded, "thanks."

Starfire smiled at Robin, "I was doing the wondering as to why you were not fully healed as well."

Raven offered Starfire a sad smile and went back to healing Starfire, "I've been trying to heal as many Tamaraneans as I could, it became pretty tiring. Some of them wouldn't let me heal them though. Why wouldn't they let me?"

Starfire nodded in understanding, "many Tamaraneans believe that _X'hal_ will heal. In that, if they are meant to live, _X'hal_ will bring healing. There used to be many that would not allow themselves to be healed at all, but after our… I believe they are most similar to a high priest? Though there are many differences… I apologize I became distracted, our 'high priest' became a healer in the healer room, and many who had not before allowed themselves to be healed. Most Tamaraneans will deny any mystical healing, however. Many believe that would angry _X'hal._ "

Raven nodded, "Who is X'hal?"

Starfire rubbed her lips together, "I believe you would refer to her as a goddess? She was a Tamaranean in the earliest times. During a war against _Uyrk,_ large reptiles that crawled upon Tamaran, our sun was destroyed. _X'hal_ released her own solar energy inside of her to bring back our sun. The sun shown so brightly that it drove the _Uyrk_ into the darkest edges of the universe… Some Tamaraneans believe that the _Uyrk_ became the Gordanians after many thousands of your Earthen years."

Robin looked taken aback, "wait. The _Uyrk_ were real?"

Starfire cocked her head, "yes, we often find their remains in the _T'uyrk'r Reji._ They are caves near the other side of Tamaran. I may show you one day."

Raven stared at Starfire, "and X'hal?"

Starfire smiled slightly, "she is also referred to as _X'iliuni'r,_ but her true name was Halyaynd'r."

Raven shook her head quickly, "that sounds like and'r. Like your name."

Starfire nodded, "it is believed that we are in some ways her direct descendants, however many can trace their ancestry back to her."

Robin blinked a few times, "so she was real?"

Starfire nodded, "of course."

Robin let out a disbelieving chuckle, "and you're related to a goddess?"

Starfire raised an eyebrow and spoke carefully, "many are."

Robin looked at Raven, "I'm dating a descendent of a goddess."

Starfire looked at Raven, "I believe he has gone the nuts. Are not all deities real?"  
Raven sighed, "it's under speculation. On Earth, deities are often used to answer questions that they otherwise couldn't. That's not saying that they're not real, either way, they are very real to those who believe in them. I mean, what did Tamaraneans believe in before X'hal? Like who made everything?"

Starfire cocked her head, "Tamaraneans believe that everything was created from the strongest star exploding, creating a billion suns, spread throughout this universe, some could not keep their heat, and they went out, changing and eroding from the universes around them. It is a very long explanation; I fear that I desire to leave it there."

Robin nodded, "I mean it's a great theory."

Starfire nodded, "we are very open regarding this topic. We are warriors and not many of us are scholars. We are eager to learn."  
Raven chuckled, "we don't have many theories that are much better."

Starfire giggled.

Raven smiled down at the girl, "I am just about done. Hey Robin, I'm afraid that some of these may reopen, it was pretty deep. Star, do you mind if I put you under for the night? You need rest anyway, and I just want to make sure that this heals properly."

Starfire bit her lip, "if you believe that it would be best, Raven."

Raven nodded, " as much as I love you, you are sleeping in your own bed tonight. Lover-boy, pick her up please… CAREFULLY."

Robin did as he was told and pick Starfire up gently, he wrapped her in a loose blank to keep her bare chest warm. He was sure that Starfire's armor would just irritate the newly healed skin.

Raven walked over to Robin's side of the bed and put a hand on Starfire's head,

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos"

Starfire felt sleep overtaking her.

The last thing she could feel were Robin's soft lips on her forehead.


	33. Chapter 33

_Quick note about Starfire's anxiety, it is not cute, as it has almost gotten her killed many times. Mental illness isn't a desirable trait, nor is it a thing anyone should pretend to have, ever._

 _Please note that Robin does not love Starfire for her mental illness, but for her selfless nature, kind heart, merciless fighting skills, and everything else that's awesome about HER and NOT her mental illness. I'm just putting this out there to let you all know that mental illness isn't fun or cute. It is something that we fight to overcome everyday. And significant others and friends help fight that mental illness, they don't 'cherish' it._

 _END of PSA, sorry._

 _I just know that SOMEONE will interpret the last chapter the wrong way, and I want to clear the air._

 _On a different note, I am serious about this cover thing guys. If you want to design a cover for this story, PLEASE. You will get full credit…and maybe a fic written just for you?_

 _###_

Through her exhaustion Starfire could hear the soft words being spoken at her door. Robin's voice was monotone, he was displeased. Starfire could hear Galfore speaking urgently.

"Robin?" Starfire's voice did not sound like her own, it was small and raspy.

She could see Robin's shadow from the light in the door turning to the bed. He was by her side in a moment,

"you're supposed to be sleeping, _dy iliuni._ " His voice was soft,

Starfire stretched, squeaking slightly as she did so, and spoke, "as are you, Richard."

Robin chuckled and rubbed Starfire's back, she had been sleeping on her stomach, "Galfore wanted me to tell you that his… hatja? Herjr? They're back."

Starfire sat up, "the _hjur't?_ I must thank them for their service."

Robin clicked his tongue, "Star, what you need now is lots and lots of sleep."

"It should only be a moment, _dy iliuni._ You may join me if you desire, to ensure I am quick." Starfire put her hand on his cheek and smiled.

Robin turned his head to kiss her hand, "I'm going to take you up on that, you know."

Robin gently lifted her from the bed, and turned on the light. He inspected her wound closely,

"It's healing pretty well. I'd say a few more sessions with Raven, and it'll be gone. But we might want to get you a top."

Starfire nodded, "I am required to wear my armor."

Robin made a face, "Star, won't that hurt?"

Starfire 'hummed, "it will be tolerable, and it shall only be for a short while. "Starfire began to walk to her dresser,

"I got it, Star. Which drawer?"

Starfire smiled gratefully, "it is the bottom left."

Robin opened the drawer, lifting the top. He let out a long whistle, "I didn't know how heavy this stuff was, Star. It took a lot to go through it, huh." He handed the top to her.

Starfire bit her lip and accepted it, "Gordanian teeth are quite sharp. I am sorry to ask this, but will you assist me with my gorget, _dy iliuni?_ "

Robin smiled, "happily."

Starfire felt Robin wrap the metallic fabric around her then click her gorget. He then wrapped his arms around her. Starfire turned into his chest and smiled up at him, "I thank you, Richard."

Robin ran his fingers through her hair, "I honestly can say I don't mind at all."

Starfire began to pull him out of the room, "come the _hjur't_ should not be kept waiting."

Robin chuckled but followed her out into the corridor, "who are the _hjur't?_ "

Starfire rubbed her lips together, "they are royal warriors. They fight in the name of the Grand Ruler instead of in the name of Tamaran. They are trained on Okaara from birth until the Earthen age of twenty. They are the most ruthless warriors I know of. If they are after you, you will not survive."

Robin furrowed his brow, "then why weren't they given your mission?"

Starfire sighed, "I fight for Tamaran. The mission I was assigned was a benefit for my planet. They were given the mission to hunt down the last of the Citadel's army, as they had threatened the Grand Ruler. Most of the _hjur't_ are the offspring of nobles. Though they are warriors, they rarely face any fatalities."

Robin shook his head, "so they train for most of their lives, but spend most of their time NOT fighting?"

Starfire nodded, "the _hjur't_ are seen as noble, and brave. It is a very honorable 'job' with very little risk."

Robin sighed and puffed out his bottom lip, "then why are we leaving our comfy bed to thank them?"

Starfire giggled, "it is again part of being a _hjur't,_ whenever you are called upon, you are guaranteed to be honored by the royal family each time. If they had been called upon while I was on Earth, there may have been a possibility of my having to return to Tamaran just to thank them."

Robin arched an eyebrow, "being a part of the _hjur't_ doesn't sound like such a noble thing to me, if I'm being honest Star."

Starfire nodded, "it used to mean something much different in the Earlier times. The _hjur't_ were very often called upon, and very often perished. The early _hjur't_ would pledge their loyalty to only the Grand Ruler. They would accompany their Ruler everywhere. Fight for them in a moment. And die for them without thinking. The _hjur't_ were always given such an honor that some members of the council forced their offspring to become _hjur't._ Many council members lost their children, so they changed to roles of the _hjur't_ so that their offspring would survive, but still be high ranking and honored individuals."

"They're high ranking?"

Starfire nodded, "they live in the palace, and have their choice of spouse. My father was a _hjur't_ while my mother was a princess. Her father was eager to make the arrangement after Myand'r asked for my mother's hand."

Robin's eyes widened slightly, "your mom was in an arranged marriage?"

Starfire nodded, "she loved a general. He had asked for her hand the earthen year before, but her perished in battle. She knew she could not marry for love any longer, so she never fought the arrangement."

Robin let out a breath, "I had no idea."

Starfire pushed open the doors of the Great Hall, "I did not realize you would want to know. I'm sorry, Richard."

"Koriand'r! You finally grace us with your presence!" Wildfire was laying upside on his throne, eyes fixed on the couple, "I had thought I would have to get you myself."

Starfire climbed the steps onto her seat and huffed, "I would have liked to see you try, Ryand'r."

Robin chuckled and leant against the wall. He watched Starfire wiggle to sit comfortably in her chairs. She caught his eyes and smiled brightly at him. Robin smiled back, but her could see the tiredness in her eyes from Raven's spell. He sighed. He hoped this would be quick so he could get her back to bed and listen to her purr all night. Robin heard a small commotion outside of the doors and turned his gaze toward them.

The doors opened and a group of six or seven heavily armored men entered. Each removed their helmets and bowed before Galfore.

Galfore stood, "I wish to thank my noble warriors for their service. Their skills have graced this planet as X'hal herself once did. I am honored to be in the presence of such proud warriors."

Robin inwardly rolled his eyes. He would have to ask Starfire why Galfore was laying it on so thick.

Wildfire spoke next, "you have fought valiantly and with the strength of all warriors before you."

Starfire's voice was like honey, "we thank you for the sacrifice you make and for the many hardships you have overcome to fight for our Grand Ruler on this day."

Robin caught Blackfire's quick eye roll, but then she spoke in a kind voice, "you and you alone protect the Grand Ruler. And for this service, the Royal Family thanks you."

The _hjur't_ bowed simultaneously, they were met with the bows from Galfore, Blackfire, Starfire, and Wildfire. When the _hjur't_ stood again, they were instantly served large goblets of a sweet-smelling drink. The hall filled with chatter. Robin flicked his eyes back to Starfire. Blackfire was speaking to her quickly, and Starfire was nodding, the tiredness was more present in her eyes. Starfire descended the stairs to Robin's side,

"I must say that I am quite ready for slumber, Richard."

Robin chuckled, "c'mon, let's go."

Starfire smiled at him brightly. The couple began to head to the door, but one of the _hjur't_ blocked their path. Bowing before Starfire,

 _"it was a great honor to serve the Grand Ruler and the Royal Family on this day."_

Starfire sighed, but kept her composure, "I thank you _Hjur't_ Cath'yr for your kind words and your service."

The Tamaranean identified as Cath'yr smiled at Starfire and spoke in Tamaranean again, " _Princess, it would be an honor if you would drink the warriors drink with us and celebrate our victory."_

Starfire continued to keep her composure, "did you face many Gordanians, _Hjur't_ Cath'yr?"

Cath'yr's face fell slightly, _"yes, many, Princess. We are lucky we escaped with our lives."_

Robin could not tell what the warrior had said, but he could tell that Cath'yr was lying.

Starfire exhaled, "I am sorry, _Hjur't_ Cath'yr. But I must be retiring for the night. Robin is escorting me to my quarters. I thank you again for your service."

Starfire turned to leave but Cath'yr grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back to him. Starfire gritted her teeth from the pain. Robin tore Cath'yr's hand from Starfire's shoulder, his birdarang hidden in his hand.

Cath'yr spoke, "you dishonor me by leaving, princess."

Starfire's eyes became cloudy and her voice became smaller, "there are many here that will drink with you, Cath'yr. I am unneeded. I thanked you for your honorable service. My absence now shall not bring any dishonor."

Cath'yr gritted his teeth and turned his gaze to Robin, " _I can escort you to your quarters. There is no need for this human to do so."_

Starfire's face was empty, "I would quite prefer Robin to escort me, I wish you a pleasant evening, _Hjur't_ Cath'yr"

Starfire turned and Robin put himself between Cath'yr and Starfire in case he tried to grab her again. They exited the doors and Starfire's whole demeanor changed. She curled in on herself, and her breathing became rushed. Robin cursed under his breath. He picked Starfire up quickly and spoke to her softly as he walked, "I'm sorry Starfire, I didn't see him reaching out to grab you." He kissed her hair.

"It is the alright, Richard. It was not your doing." Her voice was still small.

"Cath'yr just wanted you to stay and drink?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. It was the _urth'rok,_ the warrior's drink. It is…intoxicating by nature. I have consumed it before. Though it is possible, it is very difficult to build immunity to this drink… They are all most likely the 'drunk'." Starfire was still staring off into nothing, so Robin changed the subject.

"Tell me more about your mom. I don't know much about her."

"My mother was Luand'r, or Luaynd'r before she was wed. Her name of the maiden in English was Moonflame, when she and my father were joined she became Moonfire."

Robin arched a brow, "Aynd'r? That's like X'hal again, right? What was it, Halyaynd'r?"

Starfire nodded, her eyes focusing on Robin, "yes. If I am descended from _X'hal_ I am descended on my mother's side. Her mother before her was the only offspring of the Grand Ruler, so she was able to keep the royal name. She was Yhalaynd'r. your closest translation to her English name is Eternalflame. Yhalaynd'r had two children, my mother, and my… uncle?" Robin nodded, Starfire continued, "My uncle, Uretaynd'r, Lushflame, was murdered. Galfore knew Uretaynd'r, but he did not tell me much about him. You see, Galfore had served my mother and the royal family for some time. Though he pledged his allegiance to my father, he says that he had always wanted to serve my mother under her Aynd'r name again. Under the Aynd'rs Tamaran experienced its longest time of peace. I have always wished I could have been an Aynd'r as my mother was."

Robin kissed her hair again, "I would have loved to meet your mom, Starfire."

Starfire smiled fondly, "I think that often as well. My mother was a skilled warrior as well; I feel you would have enjoyed the 'battle talk' with her."

Robin chuckled and pushed the door to Starfire's room open with his shoulder, "now remember, _dy iliuni,_ you made me a deal. 'The Thanking of the Assholes' then bed."

Starfire giggled as Robin placed her on the ground. She was about to attempt reaching her gorget, but Robin was already doing it for her. He lifted it gently off of her shoulders, then inspected her would once again. There was a bruising handprint where Cath'yr had grabbed her, and the wound had reopened slightly in that area.

Robin gritted his teeth, "I didn't realize how hard he had grabbed you."

Starfire turned to him, her brow furrowed, then her face changed to one of amusement.

Robin threw his mask on the bedside table, "what?"

Starfire took his face in her hands, " _dy iliuni,_ you are full of surprises."

Robin arched an eyebrow, "what are you talking about?"

Starfire giggled slightly, "Richard, you pulled Cath'yr's hand away from my shoulder, did you not?"

Robin nodded, "yeah?"

Starfire smiled, "he was using his strength, you overpowered a Tamaranean warrior."

Robin's face turned shocked, "what? No! I didn't! He must've stopped using his strength when I grabbed him."

Starfire raised an eyebrow, "why is it that Cath'yr would do that, Richard?"

Robin sat on the bed shocked, and Starfire sat between his knees looking up at him, "why are you upset, Richard? You do not believe that you are strong?"

Starfire sat up on her knees, wrapping her arms around Robin's neck, and resting her head on his shoulder, "you have fought many stronger than Cath'yr, _dy iliuni._ Do not doubt yourself."

Robin could hear Starfire's kind words that made his heart flutter, but all he could think about was the feeling of her bare breasts against his chest. He shuddered as she gently kissed under is jawbone.

Starfire noticed the shudder and looked into his face, "Richard, are you alright?"

Robin lifted her from her knees and placed her on his lap, "you really don't know what you do to me, do you, Star?"

Starfire scrunched her nose at him, then kissed under his jaw again.

Robin groaned, "Star, remember what Raven said. No funny business."

Starfire purred into his ear, "I do not believe sex is funny, Richard."

Robin closed his eyes and cursed Raven's rule, "Star, angel. Your bite's already opened a little. As much as I want to, and god I want to, Raven will kill me if that gets any worse."

Starfire puffed out her bottom lip, and Robin traced his thumb over it, "I know, trust me I know."

Starfire sighed, "I suggest you do the turning away."

Robing looked at her curiously.

"I must remove my skirt and my boots."

Robin groaned.

###

Robin opened his eyes. Starfire's head wasn't on his chest. He felt the side of the bed, it was warm. He blinked and looked around the room. Starfire's honey voice suddenly came from the doorway. There she stood, wrapped in a blanket. She was speaking to someone in Tamaranean. Galfore's voice gently responded to her, then closed the door. The room became dark once again. Starfire crept back into the bed then laid her head back on Robin's chest, a small groan escaping.

Robin wrapped his arms around her, "what's going on?"

Starfire eeped slightly in surprise, then spoke, "Richard, I had not realized that you were awake. You should be asleep, it is quite early still."

Robin held her closer, "well, so should you. But what happened? What did Galfore say?"

Starfire sighed, "it can wait until morning, _dy iliuni._ But I will say that I am quite ready to return home."

Robin rubbed her back, "it has been a while hasn't it?"

Starfire nodded, "I am eager to see Silkie, and to sleep in your bed once again."

Robin sighed, "are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

Starfire sighed, "apparently there have been many inquiries for my hand throughout the _Hjur't."_

Robin raised an eyebrow, "what?"

Starfire shook her head, "I believe that they just desire me here on Tamaran."

Robin looked down at her, "and what does Galfore think?"

Starfire bit her lip, "Galfore's suspicions are quite… unsavory. Many believe that I am the heir, when I am not. He believes that they either want to breed… certain traits into the next heir, or they desire to use me for peace with the people."

Robin gritted his teeth, "what was his response to that."

Starfire bit her lip, "one of them was to leave immediately."

Robin nodded, "and the other?"

Starfire inwardly cursed her large mouth, "it is unimportant, Richard." She closed her eyes and settled deeper into his chest, "can we please return to sleep now?"

Robin chuckled, "what is it, Star?"

Starfire blew out a breath, "his other suggestion is that we profess our feelings in from of the council, then marry. I believed the former to be the wiser decision."

Robin was hurt, though he wasn't sure why, "why would you say that?"

Starfire raised an eyebrow, "it is not how it is done on Earth. Would you prefer to me married at the age of eighteen earthen years, Richard?"

Robin chuckled, "oh, yeah, no. I get it."

Starfire nodded, "so we shall return home soon?"

Robin kissed her forehead, "yes, very soon."


	34. Chapter 34

_Hey guys, I'm trying to finish this story up the best that I can. I had some serious mental health problems in these previous months and was in the hospital for a while. After that I was on some pills that sort of knocked me out. I haven't really been able to do much at all. I really appreciate your interest in the story, and I love that you are eager for me to complete it, but please do not spam the comments with finishing requests. I am going to try harder, but feeling like I'm letting you guys down really causes anxiety. I am going to try to pick back up, and I will try to get more regular in writing. I am sorry that this took so long, and that it's not really worth it, but I am trying._

 _Again, if there is anyone interested in drawing fan art, or a cover or anything and want it shared let me know. If you aren't doing it because I can't compensate you for your work I totally understand, so please don't feel like I don't know why I'm not getting bombarded with requests. Artists work hard and their masterpieces take time. Never try to rope an aspiring artist or an artist to do work for free. THEIR TIME IS MONEY. I just wanted to let any artist know that I have an undying respect for what they do._

 _Also, to anyone having a hard time this holiday season, please know that I believe in you. Please if you are able to, confide in a friend. Or call a hotline. Please, let's try to have a good year this year._

 _Thank you, and I'm sorry for the long wait._

 _Happy Holidays._

###

The titans sat in the Great Hall, waiting for Galfore. Blackfire was twirling a spear between her fingers, while Wildfire spoke softly to a Tamaranean that Robin had assumed was some sort of royal servant. Starfire looked between her brother and sister, and bit her lip. She was unsure of how they would take the news that she was returning home again. Starfire had assumed that Kom was expecting this, but she was sure that Ryand'r would be upset.

Galfore walked through the door muttering in Tamaranean under his breath. As he walked by Starfire, he placed his hand on her head,

"Your beauty has never given me trouble until this day, my little bumgorf."

Starfire tilted her head, a slight blush in her cheeks, but a sadness in her eyes. Galfore sat on the stairs and looked at Wildfire and Blackfire,

"Koriand'r and her friends will be returning to Earth. They have spent plenty of time on Tamaran, and shall go without any conflict, understood?"  
Ryand'r apparently did not understand, "No! They have only just gotten here Galfore. Starfire and I have our lessons… We have so much still to do."

Galfore shook his head, "I will be continuing your lessons, Ryand'r. Kori has already been here for far too long."

Ryand'r was about to speak again, but Blackfire interrupted him, "Ry, the nobles are attempting to marry her off to their sons and daughters. They think she's the heir. They're not going to let up on Galfore until she returns home again."

Starfire looked at Blackfire thankfully, "I am sorry Ryand'r, but we need to return to Earth. We also have to stop to see Robin's father before we return home. Please understand."

Robin turned to Raven, "Why do we need to see Bruce?"

Raven gritted her teeth, "Starfire got that unbreakable metal for him."

Robin sucked in a breath, "what?" He looked back at Starfire, she was now hugging her siblings, and Galfore. Speaking to them in soft Tamaranean.

He shook his head, "what are the odds she'll let us fly past Gotham."

Cyborg sighed, "she said it's something she feels like she needs to do. I guess she thinks that since Bruce would be more comfortable with it, she should do it. Our girl's gonna try to make that asshole feel 'safer.'"

Robin gritted his teeth at the insult to Bruce but shrugged it off. His team had a right to think of Bruce that way after how he had acted. It just was strange to hear others talk about his mentor like that.

Starfire turned to her friends, a sad smile on her face, "shall we collect our belongings?"

Robin nodded, "yeah, c'mon."

The team turned towards the great doors, Beastboy stretched and spoke, "so why are we leaving on such short notice. Raven said we were going to try to make that cool looking tea again, but today we're leaving?"

Starfire sighed, "I am bringing some _j'ukton_ home with us to create it for you all to taste. I believe Kom collected at least a _rehk'g_ worth for our use."

Beastboy turned to Raven, "and rkag is a what?"

Raven rolled her eyes, "a _rehk'g_ is almost four months, right Star?"

Starfire rubbed her lips together and nodded, "yes. That is the closest estimation."

The titans entered their respective room and collected their stuff. Starfire had the addition of a few bags of _j'ukton_ and a few sheets of _pararium_ _._ They began to load their belongings on to the ship. Galfore had decided to hold a council meeting to distract the members from Starfire's departure. Starfire took a last, long look at her planet, a strong sadness in her eyes as she scanned the areas of burnt homes and ashen fields. Raven appeared behind her,

"you do want to come back to Earth with us, right Star?"

Starfire nodded, "very much so. It just feels… strange to leave my planet so soon after a war… willingly. Yet, I somehow still feel forced from the circumstances… Am I making 'the sense'?"

Raven nodded, "no, I do get it, the last time you had to leave like this, you were given to the Citadel… You didn't get to see your people recover from… this. But they will Starfire. I promise you. If they have even an ounce of your strength in them, they are going to thrive."

Starfire pulled Raven into a hug, "I thank you, Raven."

Robin came up behind the two and placed a hand on Starfire's back, "hey, I'm sorry, but we're ready to go if you are."

Starfire looked at Raven then nodded, "yes, let us go. I am quite ready to go home."

Starfire entered the ship and approached Robin, he handed her the same bag as he had the first time they had gone to Gotham,

"If we're going back, we're going to need disguises, again."

Starfire took the bag, but furrowed her brow, "we did not leave Bruce's home the first time, I am perhaps confused as to why the disguises are necessary."

Robin smiled at her, "they're actually for around the mansion. If one of us is caught there while Bruce has a guest, and we look like how we do now, it would expose him. When we're human, it's harder to piece it together."

Starfire nodded, but her brow was still furrowed, "so if we leave, we do not need to be in disguise?"

Robin chuckled, "we couldn't just walk out the door, Raven would have to teleport us to wherever we wanted to go."

Starfire smiled, this time understanding, "I am eager to return home, Richard. I am sorry that all the trouble has caused us to miss the Christmas."

Beastboy's ears drooped, "yeah, that part does suck a little."

Raven gritted her teeth at the guilt Beastboy's statement caused on Starfire. Raven sighed, "who's to say we can't celebrate when we get home? I already bought your gifts. I'm not returning them because Slade fucked up our holiday."

Robin grinned slightly, "I already have gifts too."

Starfire nodded, "as do I."

All eyes turned to Beastboy, his eyes grew wide, "I have… well… a list."

Raven snorted and rolled her eyes. Starfire giggled, "perhaps while we are in Gotham, I may accompany you to collect gifts for our friends, Beastboy."

Beastboy smiled, "yeah! That would be perfect, Star! Thanks."

Robin sighed at the fact this would prolong their stay in Gotham, but it was nice to see Starfire smile and laugh. She loved Christmas shopping, and she always did pick out the best gifts. Starfire had looked at the plans for his bo staff then made him a new one out of some space metal with Cyborgs help. It made the bo staff stronger and faster. He had never had one break on him since. He sighed, "I'll go tell Cyborg that he has one last chance to go Christmas shopping."

###

Starfire rubbed her lips together as she stared at the snow out of the ship's windows. It had been a long while since she had seen snow. The last time she had seen snow the weather had been unforgiving. She turned towards Raven and offered her a kind smile. Raven and Robin had both been frustrated at the idea of returning to Gotham, and she could tell that Cyborg and Beastboy were not the biggest supporters of the idea either, Cyborg had even gone as far to ask Robin to fly the ship. Starfire felt that this was something she needed to do. Bruce was like Richard's father. Though he did not understand the way Starfire and Robin went about their relationship, Galfore though highly of Robin, and Starfire desired the same approval from Bruce. If giving him a way to defeat her meant Bruce's respect, Starfire would gladly hand over the _pararium._

Raven smiled back and patted the seat next to her, which Starfire gladly took,

"it's been a while since we've seen snow, huh?" Raven smiled slightly.  
Starfire nodded excitedly, "oh yes. Please, is it as cold as when we met Red Star?"

Cyborg chuckled and shook his head, "nah, Star, it's a lot warmer here. It's practically a sauna."

Starfire cocked her head and looked at Cyborg, "I had believed that snow could only exist in cooler temperatures, usually, but not limited to those under zero degrees the Celsius or thirty-two the Fahrenheit?"

Raven shot a face at Cyborg, both containing a smile, "you're right, Star. It's an expression."

Starfire nodded, "I understand. With the comparison of the temperatures we face on the previous mission, to the one we are experiencing now, the temperatures are currently far more preferable than they were previously?"

Beastboy slowly blinked his eyes, "my head hurts."

Cyborg nodded, and changed the subject, "so what exactly is the plan for Gotham here, Star? We were all hoping it was a 'get in, get out' thing."

Starfire smiled sadly, "I can assure you that it will be quite a hasty stay. We shall give Bruce the _pararium_ then journey to the mall of shopping for some final holiday shopping."

Cyborg's eyes darkened, "you really wanna give Bruce that _pararium,_ Star? I looked at it, it's the strongest metal I've ever seen."

Starfire nodded, "I told Bruce I would acquire it, and I have. I have brought another sheet of it for your use Cyborg. It is a… dwindling resource, so please pardon the lack of supply."

Raven raised an eyebrow at this, "I thought you said Tamaraneans used it for armor."

Starfire nodded, "we did, when we were faced with Civil war. We cannot break _pararium,_ thus it was the perfect armor… however it was dangerous to harvest. Now that we fight other beings, our armor can be made of safer materials to collect."

Raven nodded, "what's your armor made of now?"

"It is called _h'raytum._ It is a strong and supportive metal. It has a lower melting point than _pararium_ so it is easier to melt for reuse."

The titans nodded thoughtfully.

The intercom scratched with Robin's voice, "Titans, I have the mansion in sight. We're landing in five. Civilian clothes, please."

Starfire sighed, and lifted the small duffle bag beside her.

###

Starfire felt the unwelcoming chill of the Batcave. Nervousness crept up her spine and she bit her lip. She hoped that she could hand Bruce that _pararium_ , journey to the mall of shopping, the hastily return home. She did not want her friends to be subjected to any ill behavior from Brice on her behalf.

It was frustrating that Bruce did not like her. After all, she had been trying her hardest to become more like the humans on this planet. She had learned what was appropriate and what was not, she had taken up the consumption of Earthen cuisine, her English had become much better, and she learned many more languages in the human way; through vigorous study. Yet, Bruce spoke of her as if she was one of the thousand-eyed _h'ortkats_ from _Hethron,_ and had looks at her as if blood oozed out of her every pore. Her friends had told her that Slade's death was not her fault, yet Bruce looked at her as if she had beheaded the villain with her own hand. She twisted her hands together as the team ascended the stairs, Cyborg carrying the _paraium_ intended for Bruce. She would give him the blueprints for the handcuffs then retreat to Raven, who would transport the team to the roof of the Gotham mall, an 'in and out' as her friends had described.

As they exited the door hidden behind the bookcase, Starfire gasped. Her eyes bright. She had never seen so many lights in her life. All around the room, brightly colored lights blinked and flicked about the room. Some bulbs alternating, others constantly shining. Starfire couldn't help the smile that came to her face.

Yes, she had seen the Earthen Christmas, and even the Hanukkah.

She had seen the trees, and the brightly wrapped presents. She had giggled at the movies, and loudly sang along to the joyous carols.

But this was something new entirely.

The entire room seemed to glow with a joyous extravagance that could only be achieved by the work of many men, and by emptying a few wallets.

Starfire spoke breathlessly, "I did not expect Bruce to be a man in the Christmas spirit."

She turned to Robin, whose face was flooded with red, green, and blue light, "he thinks of it to show off to the guests that he actually allows in the house. He also likes the lights to be so bright that the paparazzi can get good pictures without having to get to close to the house."

Raven nodded thoughtfully, "I suppose that makes sense, but I'm mostly just going to go with the 'he likes to show off' part."

Starfire giggled at this, and continued through the door.

The entire house was decorated in the same extravagant manner. Baubles, garlands, lights, stars, and decorated trees were thoughtfully placed throughout the rooms and halls.

Starfire barely stopped gawking in time to avoid running into Alfred,

"Mr. Alfred! Oh, I do apologize." She rubbed her lips together nervously.

"Think nothing of it, Ms. Starfire. We had been told you landed in the cave. I was wondering when you would make it up here."

Starfire smiled sweetly at the man, "please, these lovely decorations. They are gorgeous. I had never seen anything like them before."

Alfred chuckled and began leading the team into the dining room, "ah yes. Every year they are my pride's work. I often start before Thanksgiving, you know."

Starfire shook her head in astonishment, "are you saying that you do this on your own, Mr. Alfred."

Robin chuckled, "well, he'd wake me up to help him on weekends, Star. So he used to have some help at least."

Alfred chuckled, "Master Richard would often sleep on the job after being on such late mission, but I suppose sleeping on the ornaments counts as helping."

Robin's face turned a gentle shade of red. Alfred continued, "Master Bruce is on a mission. He will be back in an hour or so. May I interest you in any refreshments?"


	35. Chapter 35

I'm really sorry for the delay again. I'm graduating soon so hopefully I'll have time to finish this up for you guys.

Special thanks to the wonderful artist that did the cover art for this story!

They are amazing! Please if you need any commissions done ever, go to them!

Thank you so much rebelliousOracle AKA Meumixleijayjay

.

please copy and paste the link!

Starfire awoke in the over extravagant bed. They weren't planning on staying the night, but Alfred had said that Bruce had wanted to talk to the team. He did not get back from his mission until the titans were already in bed. Starfire sighed and rolled over. Her head falling onto Robin's chest,

"I know, Star. I was really looking forward to being home by now." Robin's voice was lethargic. Starfire wondered if he had gotten any sleep at all,

"I am very much missing our home, Richard. And your bed."

Robin chuckled, "Star, this is my bed."

Starfire sat up and looked at Robin, "no, your bed is in the Jump City. It smells of you, it always feels as though the blankets have just been removed from the dryer and there is our Silkie asleep at our feet."

Robin looked down at her, the smile reserved for her on his lips, "you know, we hadn't really decided what we're going to do when we get back."

Starfire cocked her head, "if I am being the honest I was planning on holding all of your blankets and pillows captive and not emerging from your bed for at least a _ckrat'r…_ "

Robin laughed whole heartedly, "no that's actually what I'm talking about. Terra's old room is next to mine… I mean, I'm sure we could make my room bigger if you wanted to… you know…. Stay there…"

Starfire smiled into Robin's chest, "Richard, _dy iliuni,_ I would remain in your room if it was the size of a _friurth."_

Robin perked up, "I know those! That's the disinfecting room! Those are tiny! You love me!"

Starfire laughed, the honey sound wrapping around Robin, "yes, yes _dy iliuni,_ I do. With everything I am."

She leaned forward and captured his lips. The taste of the coffee he had almost hours earlier and spearmint toothpaste fresh on his lips. She sighed at the taste. Robin pulled her closer to him, placing his hands on her hips and adjusting her so each leg was on either side of him. Starfire relaxed against him, allowing herself to push against him. He moaned at the multiple areas of contact and held her tighter. She bit his lip and her ran his hands down her bottom-

"Master Dick, Bruce is prepared to speak with you and your team. Please ready yourself. I am preparing breakfast as we speak."

Robin groaned, "thanks Alfred, we'll be down in a sec."

Starfire looked at Robin through her eyelashes, a pout on her lips.

Robin gritted his teeth as he traced his thumb over her plump lips, "Star, Angel, you're going to be the death of me."

Starfire knew he was referring to their current sexual tension, and that he did not mean she would actually kill him, she leaned forward and took his bottom lip in between her own. There was a hitch in his breath, "Star, you heard Alfred…"

Starfire shifted her hips, Robin sucked in a breath of air, "god, Star."

There was a cool touch in Starfire's mind and she groaned. Robin laughed at the noise, "Raven?"

Starfire nodded and pouted again.

Robin sighed and kissed her, "what if I promise to not let you out of my arms for that entire _ckrat'r_ when we get home?"

He kissed her nose, "I can I swear to you, I won't be able to let you get dressed either."

 _###_

Starfire squeezed Raven's hand again. There was far too much tension around the table for her liking. Her other hand was on Robin's leg; she would give it a light squeeze whenever he began gritting his teeth. She had only begun keeping count moments ago and she had already counted fourteen times.

Starfire cleared her throat, "I have never had this version on the coffee Mister Alfred, it is most delicious."

Raven let out a breath at the words and looked at Starfire. As did the others. They had been sitting in silence for so long that Cyborg had begun to wonder if his audio sensors had stopped working.

There was another beat of silence before Alfred spoke, "it is a latte Miss Starfire. I am quite glad you're enjoying it."

Starfire stared at the beverage before her and spoke again, "there is a flavor in it. It is vanilla, no?"

Robin allowed a small smile and patted her hand, "yeah, Star. It's one of Alfred's specialties. It's steamed milk… or soy milk in your case, vanilla syrup and espresso- really strong coffee basically."

Starfire furrowed her brow, "but I had thought that you can only drink this beverage dark, or with the cream?"

Alfred shook his head, "shame on you Master Dick, you have not even taken Miss Starfire out for coffee."

Beastboy and Cyborg snickered at the fact that their leader was being chastised.

Starfire turned to the two, "you have also been with me since I have been on this planet and you have not taken me either."

Beastboy pouted, "neither has Raven!"

Starfire raised an eyebrow, "Raven has shown me multiple types of the tea, and other delicacies."

Raven hummed a 'ha-ha' noise as she took a sip of her tea.

Bruce drummed his fingers on the table, "are we really talking about coffee?"

Starfire looked back into her cup, embarrassment evident on her face.

Robin rubbed her knee, "well no one else was saying anything."

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, "don't do this Dick. I was out last night. What is there to say?"

Robin gritted his teeth, "that you're sorry about what you said to Star? That you don't think she'll hurt anyone? That you don't need that stupid fucking metal?"

Bruce stood, "a man is dead Dick. I obviously need it. You wouldn't stop her. You'd all let her kill half the planet if she wanted to."

Starfire placed her cup back on the table. Any appetite gone.

Raven stood, "Starfire is the most peaceful among us. We're more worried about Beastboy going rouge."

Bruce narrowed his eyes, "ah yes, that's comforting, coming from the half-demon that already destroyed the world once."

Raven's eyes widened and she sat down. Hurt and shame evident on her.

"That's uncalled for Bruce. She saved the Earth. She single-handedly brought down Trigon and reversed everything he had done."

Beastboy stared at Raven, longing to comfort her. He watched Starfire stroke Raven's hair and whisper something to her.

Bruce shook his head, "you put together quite a team Dick. A half-demon, a killer alien, next you'll tell me that one transformed into the rat that started the plague."

Beastboy looked to see that Bruce was gesturing to him. He could feel his anger clawing up his spine. He thought of what a lion would do to this man. His hand morphed without his control. He hid it under the table.

"My team is one of the best teams I have seen. They have reached the point where they don't even need a leader anymore. They'd all know what to do if- "

"Then why are you still there?"

Robin blanched, "what?"

"if they don't need you, why are you still there?"  
Starfire stood now, her voice was gentle, and clearly shaken, "we do need him. We need him everyday. He protects us, and shows us how to be heroes. I was a warrior, not a hero. His teachings are the reason I fell in love with this planet. I had no idea that there is a planet that could be this strong, and kind. It is far from perfect, but there is nothing I would rather do than spend my life protecting it. And I am sure that my friends would say the same as I."

Bruce stared at the alien, "I appreciate you delivering the metal. Do you have to stay here long?"

Starfire did not mistake the bite behind his words. She shook her head, "no, we merely have one stop to make and we will be gone."

Bruce turned to leave the table, throwing his paper to the ground.

Robin narrowed his eyes, "Merry Christmas, Dad."

###

Starfire stared at her human looking self in the mirror. She was no longer in any mood to shop and she doubted that anyone else was either. She was furious. She did not know how anyone could be so cruel to her friends. What Bruce had said about Raven, and Beastboy tore her apart. The fact that Robin's presence on the team was question enraged her as well. Each one of Bruce's words had hit Robin like a bullet. She saw it. Despite the anger they felt for each other at the moment, Bruce was Robin's father. He had taken him in and raised him. Despite all the fights they had while Robin was growing up, Bruce was the whole reason Robin became a hero, and Bruce was the whole reason Starfire had Robin now. The fact that Starfire was thankful to Bruce made her even angrier. Starfire took a breath but none of the anger left her body,

"Star, you know that you didn't do anything wrong, right?" Beastboy was the first one to speak.

They had all retreated to the ship after Breakfast with their belongings, afraid to even exist in the mansion a moment longer.

Starfire turned to her friend, "I have created anger between my friends and the Bruce. I have done wrong. I can only hope that once we return home Richard can repair the damage I have done."

Robin had changed, given Starfire a kiss on the forehead and mumbled something about getting a car for the team. She had desperately wished that he would have allowed her to go with him, but she was sure that he needed sometime to himself. She stared at the door he had walked through and sighed.

Raven walked towards Starfire and took her hand, "you didn't cause anything Star, none of this is your fault. I can sense you don't believe us, and I can promise you that we will keep telling you until you do, and long passed that."

Starfire turned to her friend and hugged her. Clinging to her in a way that demonstrated how desperately the Tameranian wanted to cry. Raven held the girl and spoke, "we can just go home, Beastboy can just make us those coupons for hugs and stuff like he always does."  
"hey! You guys said that you liked those!"

Starfire released Raven and walked over to her youngest friend, "we do, we love them dearly, but mine have been piling up you see, and so I think it's time that I helped you get our friends something different."

Robin sighed from the doorway, he watched the love of his life make his friends laugh, focused on making them feel better. He was angry at his father, to say the least. It was possible that he even hated him at the moment. All of the things he said had hurt him in a way he never thought possible. He even hated himself for questioning why he was still on the team. He had wondered why, at nine-teen he was still Robin, he was still a Teen Titan. He watched Starfire rub Beastboy's hair and sighed. This was why, his friends were why, the city was why.

He allowed the smallest of smiles on his lips as her remembered the promise he had made to Starfire that morning,

"c'mon guys. The car's ready"

###

 _I'm starting the next chapter tonight and I have a long weekend this weekend so I hoping to have it out much sooner than I've been doing recently. I know that this was a chapter where not much happened but I have to try to set some stuff up again. So more should be happening in the next chapter._


	36. Chapter 36

I apologize for the paragraph mishap. I am not sure what happened there.

The mall of shopping was extravagant, not as extravagant as Bruce's home, but still beautiful.

Robin watched Starfire's eyes glow with wonder at the beauty. Though he sighed at the tame version of her eyes due to her 'human disguise.' Hearing her laughter, and letting her pull him around the mall were slowly healing his wounds from the morning. She had now spotted the pet store with a few kittens in the window. He smiled but was gritting his teeth, he wasn't going to get her out of there.

"Please, look at their adorableness! Oh, please we must take them all home!" Starfire's voice was so sweet that passerbys couldn't help but laugh. Raven was holding down Starfire to keep her from floating. The Tameranean picked up a kitten and gave them a kiss on the head.

Beastboy scrunched up his nose, "c'mon Star. I'm way cuter than that! I could show you…"

Raven raised an eyebrow, "are you… jealous?"

Cyborg guffawed as Beastboy started blushing, "no… Star's my sister… I just…"  
Raven smirked, "there's no room for another animal in the tower?"

Beastboy threw his hands up, "I'm not jealous!"

Cyborg laughed, "oh my god, is this like with cats or dogs? You know? When you come home smelling like another animal? Are we B's humans?!"

Beastboy scrunched his nose, "well Cy, you'd be the worst human ever. And I'd bring you a pile of- "

Robin jumped in, "I promise you that I really wanted to hear that, but guys, watch the names."

Raven nodded, "Gar, you're our favourite I promise."

The titans looked over at Starfire who was still crooning at the kitten.

Beastboy pulled on Starfire, "hey, Kori, please help me shop… Please?"

Starfire looked at Beastboy and felt the distress she was causing him, she sighed and placed the kitten down, "Yes friend, so what was on your list."

Beastboy whispered in her ear.

Starfire smiled, "that will be easy."

###

Starfire felt accomplished. It was so easy to help others shop. She always listened carefully to her friends, it made it so easy to figure out what they needed. The real trouble came when Beastboy said he wanted to get something sweet for Raven. Starfire had many options for this though, from jewelry to something a little simpler. Beastboy had opted for something in between. The titans had decided to split up and go their separate ways. Cyborg had gone to the electronics store and said he was also going to check out the car shop next door, while Raven and Beastboy were just going to go look around. Starfire was eager to allow them to have the time alone as well as to have the time alone with Robin as well.

"So where do you wanna go next, Kori? Back to the pet store? Gar won't see you holding those kittens now." Robin's eyes glinted with trouble.

Starfire pouted, "he will still do the smelling of them on me. Where do you want to go, _dy iliuni?"_

Robin considered her, "you know, I picked out your gift before we started dating, is there… maybe something else… you want? Like… something special?"

Starfire stopped walking and turned to him, "Richard, everything I receive from you is special. I cherish every gift I receive from you."

Robin fought back a blush, "I know, angel. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to get you something _very_ special."

Starfire raised an eyebrow at him then smiled, "I would like all of your blankets."

Robin chuckled, "you'll already have all of them. Trust me."

Starfire tapped her chin, "but will you be in them."

Robin chuckled, "yes." He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "and hopefully I'll be in you."

Starfire turned a light shade of pink, but her eyes became alluring. She leaned in, placed her hand on Robin's cheek and took his bottom lip in between hers. Gently biting them.

Robin sighed at the feeling. He groaned and gave Starfire a quick kiss before resting his forehead against hers, " _Dy iliuni_ , if we start again, I don't think we'll be able to stop."

Starfire puffed out her bottom lip, and Robin chuckled huskily.

It occurred to Robin, that this was the first time they were out in public as a couple. Sure no one knew it was them, but it brought excitement into him none the less. Everyone could see they were each others. Everyone could see how much they loved one another. He enjoyed how personal it felt, how these strangers saw their love, but he also treasured the animosity of it. That no one knew that they were heroes. They were just two people in love.

"I will give you a penny for your thoughts."

Starfire's voice was alluring.

Robin also enjoyed privacy… a lot.

Robin tripped over his words, "I just, like being out in public… like this… with you…"

Starfire arched and eyebrow, "you enjoy for others to see us kissing?"

Robin chuckled at himself, "no. I like...not hiding that I love you."

Starfire smiled and gave him a lingering kiss, "and I love you."

Robin took Starfire around the waist and lowered his voice, "and I also would love to have you in my bed"

A camera suddenly flashed and Robin's eyes widened.

###

Beastboy was struggling with his words. He was thankful for the moments of silence. This was one of the many things he liked about Raven, she did not expect him to constantly talk. He wasn't expected to continuously carry on with small talk. Raven liked quiet, but she also seemed to like it when he talked.

He finally got the courage to speak again, "so what about you?"

Raven looked up from the candle she had in her hand and raised an eyebrow "I already got my present for Sta-Kori."

Beastboy shook his head and placed the moisturizer he was looking at down, "no. Sorry. I mean, what's your favourite type of food."

Raven couldn't hide her small smile, "I actually really like Italian. Or Thai food. The real stuff though."

Beastboy nodded, "are there any real ones in Jump?"

Raven nodded, "a few."

Beastboy let out a nervous breath, "would you want to go?... with me?"

Raven nodded.

Beastboy rubbed his lips together to contain his happiness.

There was a content silence.

After a beat or two Raven spoke again, "Starfire really likes the smell of peaches and strawberries together. I know which shop has it. C'mon."

As soon as they left the store, there was a commotion on the balcony, a mix of voices carried over to the couple,

"are you Dick Greyson's new girl?"  
"How long has this been happening?"

"Where ya from?"

"What have you been up to Dick?"

"Where have ya been?"

Raven's eyes widened, "we'll get Star's gift in Jump. I think they need us."  
Beastboy nodded.

The pair quickly made their way over to the paparazzi. Raven caught a glimpse of Starfire's face. She was scared. She didn't know what was going on. Raven sensed her anxiety. Raven looked around the area. There was a small bathroom down the next hall. She bit her lip. If she wanted to get them there, she needed a distraction. She looked at Beastboy, who was looking at her, she then looked at a sprinkler conveniently placed above the mob. Beastboy nodded, "got it."

Raven nodded back, "car shop. Five minutes. Bring Cyborg and the car."

He went into the nearby photo booth and turned into a fly. He then flew to the sprinkler. Raven reached for Robin's mind, when she felt it, she sent a message, " **it's about to rain. Bathrooms to your right. I'll be waiting. Beastboy will meet us outside."**

The sprinkler burst above the mob. Robin, holding tightly to Starfire, ran to the bathroom. Raven close behind. After a moment the hoards of people began following as well. Once they safely made it to the bathroom, Raven held the door with her powers. She looked at the two, "you okay?"

Robin nodded while rubbing Starfire's back, "it was… a lot... all of a sudden."

Raven nodded, "out?"

"yes, please. Thank you Raven." Robin smiled.

Raven smiled back. She pictured the roof of the mall in her mind. Open space for Starfire to breath. The cool winter air. **The roof.**

The black of Raven's powers surrounded the trio. They vanished in the dark. The hold on the door released, and the mob of people fell into an empty bathroom.


	37. Chapter 37

_I apologize for the mishap with formatting. I split the chapter up to make sure this did not happen again._

Starfire could breath again. The flashes and the attack of chatter had ended. She had not realized how tightly she was clutching to Robin and she released him,

"I am sorry, Richard. I had not meant t-"

Robin's hand began stroking her hair, "I am so sorry, Starfire. I didn't see them coming. I would've gotten you out of there. "

Starfire tucked her head under his chin, "Richard. Please do not blame yourself."

Raven turned to the couple, "what _was_ that?"

Robin shrugged, still hugging Starfire, "Richard Greyson is Bruce's adopted son. They think I have an idea of what Bruce is up to, so they try to get it out of me."

Raven nodded, "I told Beastboy to find Cyborg and meet us at the car shop. Unless, you… two are still up for shopping?"

Robin knew what Raven was really asking. She was asking if Starfire was still up for it. Robin shook his head, "no." His voice was sure, but there was evident sadness.

"We should not let the interruption interfere with our time in the mall of shopping," Starfire's voice was small, "if we could perhaps, try again?"  
Robin shook his head, "they're probably looking for us now, angel. Let's just find Cyborg and Beastboy, let's head home."

Starfire bit her lip and pointed to one of the bags Robin was holding, "there is a present for Alfred in that package. I have wrappings in there as well. Might I wrap it in the car?"

Robin gave Starfire a kiss on the forehead, "yeah, angel, I'll help."

The three walked across the roof searching for a ladder to climb down, avoiding the skylights that may cause them to be seen from inside the mall.

"Would it be so dangerous for me to fly you down, Richard?" Starfire was eager to find the rest of her friends.

Robin sighed, tempted to give in, "yeah, we're civilians, Star. If we get caught doing anything that a civilian wouldn't be able to do, we're in trouble."

Raven nodded, "I sensed no one on the roof. That's why I brought us here."

Starfire nodded in understanding.

After a while, Robin finally pointed out the ladder, "it doesn't go all the way down, but it's not a bad jump. Anyone could make it." There was a clear emphasis on the word anyone.

Robin climbed down first. He landed with a grunt, then raised a hand to help Raven down. Raven smirked and put her foot in his hand, and leapt. Robin clicked his tongue but chuckled at the empath. Starfire handed down the bags from the shopping trip, then climbed down herself, she allowed Robin to grab her hips and lift her off of the ladder, "I am able to do it myself, Richard." She smirked at the boy wonder.

Robin chuckled and shrugged, "doesn't mean I don't wanna help."

Raven rolled her eyes, "c'mon you two. The car shop is this way."

###

"No seriously, Cy. Out of no where, they're just surrounded by a huge mob of people. I'm so happy I gave Star all of my bags! I would've had to go back in there for them. And we all know how badly they all would've wanted my picture!"

BEastboy was speaking to Cyborg, but he was looking in the rearview mirror. Starfire had been quiet and nervous the entire trip back to the mansion, he was relieved when he saw her giggling at him.

Raven rolled her eyes, "so what did you get Alfred, Star?"

Starfire bit her lip, "when I was speaking to him later regarding the 'latte' he said that his machine was very slow. I purchased him a new one!" The happiness Starfire was radiating spread to Raven. It took everything in her not to turn pink.

Robin chuckled. Starfire always loved holidays where she could give gifts. During her first few years on Earth, she would make up anniversaries and give everyone increasingly thoughtful gifts. The first few week anniversaries were the roughest, Starfire had gotten him nail polish. She had though that he wore his gloves because he was embarrassed by his 'naked nails'. He'd never told anyone, but he had let her paint one hand red, yellow, and green. He told her not to tell anyone because they would all want to paint his nails, and this was just for her. She'd never told anyone. That was when he realized the extent he could trust her. She would truly never betray his trust. He had thought of all the times he had betrayed hers and had sworn, long ago, that would never happen again.

"What's in that bag, Star?" Beastboy chuckled at her happiness.

Starfire instantly tensed up. She stopped writing the tag on Alfred's newly wrapped gift, she looked toward Robin, "I…I was unsure if…"

Robin furrowed his brows, "Star?" He instantly understood, "Starfire. You got something for Bruce?"

Starfire looked down at the ground. The car was silent.

Raven spoke first, "no one is made at you, Starfire. We don't know how you got him something. He's been so… terrible to you… to us. We just... I just..."

Starfire exhaled, "he is Richard's father. "She looked to Robin, "your intention of us meeting him was not to hate him, I presume?"

Robin shook his head, "I was hoping that he would help us all. With Slade, with everything. I don't know what happened."

Starfire rested her hand on his cheek, "then we shall continue trying. He said cruel things about us, yes." Starfire looked at the others, "and that will be hard to forgive, but we must attempt to-"

Robin shook his head, "Starfire, you guy really don't have-"

Raven shook her head, "Starfire's right. He's your family Robin. He and Alfred. We have to try. It's just-"  
Cyborg spoke next, "it's going to be hard."  
Robin nodded. He was shocked that his team would even consider this.

Beastboy poked Starfire's leg, "so what did you get him?"

Starfire rubbed her lips together, "it was difficult to find something that he needed, so I decided to get the novelty…"  
The team's eyes widened as they braced themselves for the worst, Starfire had never bought a 'novelty' item before.

With a smiling face, she reached into the bag and pulled out a tie. A back tie that lit up with 'the Batman' symbol.

The team fought not to laugh. Robin looked out the window with a large grin on his face. They were pulling up to the mansion now.

Robin let out a quiet chuckle. Years of training and discipline would never prepare Bruce for Starfire. Ever.

###

The team entered the cave. Their bags with Cyborg, and Starfire held the newly wrapped gifts.

"You really didn't have to say the gifts were from all of us Star." Cyborg was still fighting back laughter from the reveal of Bruce's gift.

Starfire shook her head, "it is not 'the big deal' I am very happy to do so."

Starfire smiled at her friends in a way that turned them all to putty.

She tilted her head, "so after the gifts of the holiday are given, are we permitted to return home?"

The way Starfire said home seemed to send a ripple of homesickness through everyone of the Titans. They missed their rooms. Their tower. Their ocean. They missed the previous months where none of this had happened. When no pain was inflicted on their friend. Home was the place where Starfire laughed, woke up at two thirty in the morning to make them an extremely thoughtful breakfast, where they watched movies together, and where they were together. Where they were home, together.

Robin walked forward and kissed Starfire's head, "yes, angel. We can go home."

Starfire smiled widely at him. The door behind them slid open, and Starfire squeaked in anticipation. Alfred and Bruce stood, Alfred smiling at the excited girl. Bruce raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"I trust that you venture was successful," Alfred chucked at Starfire.

Starfire nodded, "yes, please. We have brought you back the belated Christmas presents!"

Bruce seemed taken aback, and even Alfred lost his composure for a moment, just a moment.

Alfred was the first to speak, "well, thank you. Very much."

Starfire had Cyborg hand the large box to Alfred and Robin to give the smaller to his father.

Starfire gripped Robin's hands with nervousness as the pair opened their gifts, "they're going to love them, _dy iliuni._ " Robin's voice was quiet but calming.

"Why, this is precisely what I needed. I thank you, Titans." Alfred smiled knowingly at Starfire who bowed her head slightly in embarrassment.

"and what did you get, Master Bruce?"

Every eye swung to the Bat. The tall, strong man, who was staring straight ahead with a red face, fighting back laughter. Starfire tilted her head, and looked at Robin who was fighting back laughter as well.

Starfire whispered into his ear, "I have done wrong?"

Robin shook his head, letting a quiet chuckle slip through, "no, angel. You did right. You did very right." Robin raised an eyebrow at his mentor, "and that, my friends, is what happens when you don't tell a Tamaranean Princess what you want for Christmas."

###

The flight back to Jump City was uneventful. Every titan had the face of Bruce when he opened his gift etched into their mind. And would randomly laugh throughout the flight as they remembered it. Starfire on the other hand, sat in the right wing of the plane with Beastboy helping him wrap his present, and would raise an eyebrow whenever he had a laughing out burst. The team could tell that all the laughter had made Starfire realize that there was something funny about Bruce's gift. She had asked if she did something wrong, but everyone had told her no. She asked them if she should apologize to Bruce and there was a vehelment response of no. She hadn't any idea why Bruce's gift was funny. She had seen him wear many ties, and she had figured that one with his symbol on it would be interesting when he was walking around the mansion in his suit. She was sure she was annoying Robin with her many questions. She turned to Beastboy,

"please, was I mistaken to give Bruce that gift?"

Beastboy looked up from his clumsy wrapping, "no Star, please don't feel bad about it. It was the perfect thing to get him."

Starfire bit her lip.

"Star. We were laughing because, he has been so mean to us, and you sat there and thought about what to get him. And you get him something sweet and fun-… thoughtful like that. He probably had no idea it was coming. I mean couldn't you tell by his 'thank you' and how quickly he left?"

Starfire looked down, "I had believed him to be angry."

Beastboy chuckled, "I know, he makes it hard to tell." He nudged her with his elbow, "good thing we got the expressive one, huh?"

Starfire laughed whole heartedly.

There was a knock at the door. Robin's muffled voice came through, "it's me, is it safe to come in?"  
Starfire looked around for Robin's gift, and Beastboy held it up, messily wrapped, "it is safe!" she called back.

The door slid open, Robin leaning against the frame, "you're still making her wrap for you?"

Beastboy rolled his eyes, "oh, ha ha. No, I guess she's free to go. Thanks Star, for everything."

Starfire stood and bowed her head, "and thank you friend."

Robin held out his hand for Starfire, to which she smiled and took it gratefully.

Robin kissed the side of her head. She spoke, "your turn in flying has finished?"

Robin nodded, "yeah Cyborg wanted to be in charge of the first Earth landing."

Starfire perked up, "we are almost home?"

Robin laughed and nodded, "yeah, that's why I came and got you. I wanted to show you something."

Robin gently pulled her hand, and led her towards the middle of the ship, then down a short set of stairs. He typed a code into a large door, and it slid open slowly. Starfire gasped with wonder at what she saw.

There were two large windows that showed the open space around them. You could see every star, every planet. Starfire smiled. There in the distance, and growing larger was her precious blue and green planet.  
Robin smiled lovingly at the happiness in her eyes. He put his finger under her chin and tilted it up, giving her a lingering kiss.

She looked up at him with wonder in her eyes, "we are home."


	38. Chapter 38

_I hope that I can actually get this chapter up in a reasonable amount of time for once. Thank you all for your patience, and I hope that you're enjoying the updates! Thank you. Please remember that this story has trigger warnings for violence, and rape._

Starfire dropped her bags onto her bed, reining in her annoyance. Blaming it on the long trip. A happy Silkie in her wiggled in her arms. She gave him a quick kiss.

"I did just as Robin had sent. Breakfast at eight o'clock sharp, lots of love until naptime after lunch at one, dinner when awake, more attention, bath, then bed time. I didn't know Silkie slept that much." Speedy talked quickly, tripping over his words and blushing.

Starfire turned to him, "I thank you for your care in taking care of my little _bumgorf._ He is most frightened when he is alone, and once he is out of his routine it is most difficult to correct it."

Speedy nodded, "it was really no problem. He's a sweet little guy. I can definitely see he loves his mom."

Starfire tilted her head, "his mother was a large moth."

Speedy rubbed the back of his neck, "I meant you. Sorry. We often call the owners of pets their 'mom' and 'dad'."

Starfire nodded her head, "I understand, I- "

Speedy entered her room and laid on her bed.

Starfire raised an eyebrow. She was thankful that the Titans East substituted for her friends in their absence, but they were given their own quarters and all their needs were paid for ahead of time. Starfire thought the Speedy's behavior was inappropriate, but was unsure that if the situation was different due to the favor Speedy and his team had done. She was desperately wishing for Robin, or Raven.

"You know; you guys have a lot of action here." Speedy looked towards her, she had retreated back into the doorway, "might need another member permanently."

Starfire tilted her head, "Robin has not mentioned it, I am sure he will inquire about the subject if he feels it is necessary. Speedy, I require the-"  
"I would love to stay and help you guys out." He got up from her bed and approached her, "I'd get to see a lot more of you."

Starfire backed away, "I am usually seeing Rob- "

Her back hit the wall but still her approached, "you're a nice view, I couldn't say that I'd mind."

Starfire's breath was leaving her, and intense fear radiated up her spine. There was an uncomfortable familiarity, every cell in her body was screaming for an escape. Black clouds began to enter her vision.

He placed a finger under her chin and spoke again. She could not her anything he had said over the ringing in her ear. Her arm began to burn. Starfire shut her eyes tightly.

Suddenly the touch was gone. Still she kept her eyes shut and tried to breathe through the ringing in her ear.

She heard a voice.

It was a familiar, kind voice.

Starfire opened her eyes.

Cyborg was holding her face, concern in his eye.

"Star. You in there? Talk to me. Please."

Starfire touched his hands, "I am here. I apologize."

Cyborg shook his head, "you don't have to apologize, you didn't do anything, okay?"

Starfire tilted her head, and he spoke again, "are you okay?"

Starfire nodded, "yes, I apologize, I am unsure what happened."

Cyborg's face turned dark, "did he do something?"  
Starfire looked over at the terrified, and sonic blasted form of Speedy, "no, he was just speaking to me… I was uncomfortable… but I do not believe he did the noticing."

" **I** could tell you were uncomfortable, **he** could tell you were uncomfortable." He looked toward Speedy, "I don't wanna hit you again in front of her. Your team is on their way out. They sent me to get you. I suggest you go."

Speedy nodded quickly, "I'm sorry Starfire, I didn't-"  
Cyborg growled, " **go.** Robin will know exactly what to do to you."

Word could never describe the level of terror that came over Speedy's face. He rushed down the hall back toward the common room.  
Cyborg patted Starfire's hair as he often saw Raven do, "okay. I'm going to tell Robin what happened, but I need you to tell me everything, okay Star?"  
Starfire bit her lip, "please do not get him into the trouble Cyborg. I believe it was me."

Cyborg sighed, "let me hear what you have to say and we'll decide together, okay?"

Starfire nodded, "he was speaking to me in detail about Silkie as I walked to my quarters, when I entered, I expected to say good bye but he continued speaking. I suppose I did not say goodbye either… He had told me that the caregivers to 'pets' are called 'mothers' and 'fathers.' When I was going to convey to him that I understood, he entered my room and laid upon my bed. I was unsure if that was proper protocol in the situation, as they had just done us a large 'favor'. I was going to tell him that I required to do the 'unpacking' but he began to speak about the necessity of another member on our team. He was then approaching me and continued talking about this subject when… then you appeared."

Cyborg nodded, "I heard the last part of that, Star. He didn't touch you or nothing?"  
Starfire shook her head, "he placed a finger under my chin. That was the extent of it."

Cyborg nodded, "he won't be in trouble, but Robin would want to know. That's not how you treat a teammate."

Starfire nodded, "I am sorry Cyborg."

Cyborg shook his head and placed a finger on her nose, "nothing to be sorry for. Let me help you unpack."

###

Starfire walked silently next to Cyborg.

Cyborg had told her that she would not be in trouble, but there were still nerves in her stomach. She felt that she was so much trouble these past few weeks, she could not bear to bring even more. She was also afraid of what this would mean for Speedy. Cyborg had been so angry with him. Yes, he had made her very uncomfortable but she did not want to get him into trouble.

The doors to the common room opened slowly. The rest of her friends sat enjoying the relief of finally being home. The relief that she was about to ruin for Robin. She grabbed Cyborg's arm,

"must we?" her eyes were pleading in a way that broke Cyborg's heart.

"What's wrong, Star?" Raven's voice was concerned, and as Starfire had feared, the attention in the room turned to her.

Starfire released Cyborg and began to wring her hands. She should have known that Raven would sense her fear as soon as she entered the room.

Raven sat on her knees and turned so she could look over the couch at the girl, her book open but forgotten.

Cyborg began to rub Starfire's back in an attempt to comfort her. Starfire could feel the cool touch of Raven's powers as Cyborg spoke, "Speedy, sorta, um… came on to her?" When Robin jumped up, he clarified, "not in a physical way. He made Starifre uncomfortable. When I saw it I sorta… shot at him… but I just saw how uncomfortable she looked. And…"

Raven spoke now, "I just saw it…" There was a moment of silence as she spoke to Robin through his mind.

Robin sighed then nodded, he walked to Starfire and hugged her. He looked towards Raven, "tell Bee, would you?"

Raven nodded.

Robin kissed Starfire's head and whispered into her ear, "I made you a promise, didn't I?"

Starfire offered him a small smile before he turned to Cyborg, "thanks."

Cyborg nodded back, a small smile on his face, "anytime, man. You know that."

Robin smiled, and led Starfire out of the room.

Starfire bit her lip, "I am sorry, Richard."

Robin seemed to jump in surprise, "you're sorry? Star, you didn't do anything."

Starfire looked to the ground.

Robin placed a hand on either of her shoulders and made her face him. He lifted her chin with his hand, "Starfire. Raven showed me what happened. You did nothing wrong. And even if I hadn't seen it… Starfire, angel, I know you didn't do anything. I'm upset that you were treated like that by a teammate, or treated like that in general. I could se that you were uncomfortable the minute he came into your room uninvited, which should have never happened. You did nothing wrong."

Starfire tucked her head under his chin and held on to him tightly, "I did not mean to ruin your return home…"

Robin chuckled, "are you still going to steal all of my blankets?"

Starfire nodded, "and you with it."

Robin gave her a gentle kiss on the mouth, "then it's far from ruined."

He led her into his room. Once the door was closed, he held up a finger to signal that he wanted her to wait. He took off his shirt, mask, boots, and gloves, then took all the blankets from his bed. He wrapped them around a now giggling Starfire and carried her to the bed,

"there, " he said, "perfect."

Starfire's giggles were radiating throughout the room, and Robin could not help but smile.

Robin sat next to Starfire and rubbed her back, "how are you doing, _dy iliuni?_ "

Starfire smile, "I am the o and k, Richard. I am just sorry the I disturbed the welcome home."

Robin shook his head, "you didn't ruin anything. I'm glad it was brought to my attention."

Robin continued to rub her back. There was a comfortable silence until Robin's hand strayed to Starfire's left arm, running over the metal band on her arm catching on the edges.

Starfire sat up quickly at the contact, eyes wide.

Robin held up both hands, unsure of what had happened, "Star, angel, are you okay?"

Starfire sighed at herself and nodded, "I am sorry, Richard."

Robin raised and eyebrow when she attempted to lay back down as in nothing had happened, "ummm… Star?"

Starfire rubbed her lips together, "hmm?"

Robin smirked slightly as her attempted nonchalance, "what was that?"

Starfire looked up, "nothing."

Robin chuckled, "ohhh! I'm so convinced, thank you."

Starfire huffed and laid her head back down into the pillow and mumbled something illegible.

"what?" Robin said, his chuckles under control.

When Starfire didn't respond Robin looked at her arm again, "those are like Tamaranean band-aids right?"

Starfire hummed, knowing already what her was referring to, "yes, I supposed that is the closest explanation."  
She turned and looked at Robin's face, tucking her arm under herself in the process.

Robin furrowed his brow, "you've had that ever since we first met, you have something that won't heal?"

Starfire sighed at the worry in his tone.

"Starfire, _dy iliuni,_ has Raven tried, you're not going to upset h- "

Starfire took Robin's hand and rested her head in it, "it is not an open wound, _dy iliuni."_

Robin shook his head, "then why do you have to keep it covered?"

Starfire sighed, "when the Gordanians take a prisoner, there are certain… measures they take to label us a prisoners and slaves."

Robin rubbed his lips together, "I don't understand."

Starfire kissed his palm, "Gordanian prisoners are branded when they are taken onto the ship."

Robin was silent. His eyes were wide. He reached for Starfire's arm. He ran his fingers over the metal wrap until he felt the thinnest point, Starfire's hand came onto his,

"Richard, you do not wish to see it."

Robin shook his head, "there might be something that we're able to do Star, Raven might be able to help."

The intensity in Robin's eyes told Starfire that there was no changing his mind. She sighed and let go of his hand,

"I request that after you inspect it we rewrap it. I have _resyord_ in my procession. I prefer to keep it covered."

Robin gave her a kiss on the forehead, he found the thinnest point again and pulled. The snap of metal filled the silent room.

The breath left Robin, there it was. Puckered, scared, even still charred skin raised into an ugly, hacked pattern that Robin suspected was a Gordanian symbol for something. Robin traced his finger over an area of skin that was still charred black. His voice found him, "it still looks… new."

Starfire shook her head, "Gordanians use a strain of their venom heated with the nearest star to brand their slaves."

Robin looked closer at the mark, attempting to make out anything, though he knew it was hopeless. He had only ever seen Gordanian writing on the ship the titans attacked when they first met Starfire, and those symbols looked nothing like these. A large, rough, scratch-looking attempt at a letter surrounded by smaller versions of this mark with slightly differentiating features.

Starfire sighed, "Richard, you cannot hope to read Gordanian."

Robin shook his head, unsure of what to say.

Starfire looked at the brand on her arm, "Gordanian script is the most ugly, is it not?"

Robin took her hand, still searching for words, Starfire knew he was still trying to decipher what it meant.

She sighed, "it means 'Troq', Richard. During our first war with the Gordanians, Tameranean slaves were branded with this so that if they escaped they were shamed, or even returned. Now I believe we receive this mark so they so we would learn our place."

Compassion and sadness filled Robin's eyes. Robin knew the Goradanians were cruel, even more than he had ever before. But this was something he never expected to learn of. It fit their cruelty, raping and murdering people. However, it had not even occurred to him to expect this. He had always thought that Starfire wore her armband as a decoration for her people. He hugged her, there was nothing else he could do. He remembered Val-yor. How he called Starfire a Troq, and her it was, branded on her arm, a permanent reminder of everything she had gone through. An attempt to hurt her on the deepest of levels. He pulled away and kissed her lips. He couldn't fight the light tears escaping his eyes.

Starfire felt his tears and hugged him, "I am sorry Richard. I had never desired you to see this."

Robin pulled away, Starfire wiped his tears and kissed the lids of his eyes.

Robin shook his head, "Starfire, I am so- I am so so sorry."

Starfire kissed his forehead, "no, _dy auera._ This is not for you to answer for."

Robin's heart hurt in a way he never knew was possible, Starfire had faced terrible, terrible things on that Gordanian ship, and she wore a permanent mark from it along with the memories she could never forget.

Robin gritted his teeth, he shut his eyes tightly, an anger he had never felt before boiled inside him as he filled in the gaps in Starfire's story, as he pictured her life on that ship. He thought of everything they did to her, everything they said. He pictured Starfire bruised and beaten on the floor, no one there to help her. He felt the hot anger boiling under his skin, it burned. But there was something giving off more heat.

Robin opened his eyes and looked up.

Starfire's eyes were angry, her eyes glowing with green flames.

Robin exhaled in shock, all anger leaving his body. He reached for Starfire, "Star?"

The glowing green in her eyes vanished. She held Robin, but her could see the fear in her eyes,

"Star, angel, what is it? What did you see?"

Starfire shook her head, her eyes not leaving Robin's, "Richard, that was not..." Her words trailed off but the fear stayed in her eyes.

It sunk in slowly. Robin's lips parted slightly, a breath escaping.

"Richard, that was you."

###

 _Robin controlled Starfire's powers for the first time, if you hadn't guessed._


	39. Chapter 39

_It has been quite a while since my last update. This story is near completion, so I will try to update every other week or so. That is promising a lot though guys. I'm sorry. I have been in and out of hospital due to suicidal tendencies. I am telling you, because I feel you have a right to know and that I owe you an explanation. I apologize for everything. I hope I can finish this for you guys._

Starfire's breath had been stuck in her throat. She had not spoken, and neither had Robin. They just stared at one another, waiting for a response; anger, fear, anything.

Starfire was not angry. It had just been such an intense feeling, but it was not her emotion. She had empathy, she knew what that felt like, but to have someone else's emotions _inside_ of her. It was an intimacy she had never felt before. It had been such and influx of power, emotion. So raw. If Robin had been Tameranean, his emotions would have made him incredibly powerful. She could still feel the burn of his anger in the deepest parts of her energy, like and indent through a piece of paper. She felt so thin and delicate. Exhausted. She felt exhausted. Robin's emotions had taken a sizeable chunk out of her energy. Her eyelids were heavy but still wide with shock. It was then she realized that she had not let out a breath for several minutes.

"Angel, you have to tell me what you're thinking here. Are you okay? Di-did I hurt you? Oh my god. I'm so sorry."

Robin's voice had never sounded so unsure, so fearful. There was a slight tingle in the back of her head of a different fear, was this his insecurity that she was feeling? Or something completely new in her?

"I am, surprised. I was able to read much about this, but I never… I could never have been prepared for the sensation."

Robin took her hand, "are you okay though, _dy iliuni?_ Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?"

Starfire shook her head quickly, "no, not at all, Richard. I have never had another being inside me… in a way similar to that. It is very new."

Robin nodded, hoping she could tell how badly he wanted her to keep talking to him, to let him know how she felt, "okay. Okay. Please tell me what you want me to do. Is it okay that I'm touching you? Do you want space?"

Starfire shook her head so quickly that Robin actually smiled, "no. Please _dy iliuni._ I am just surprised by the sensation. I... I believe that because we are so untrained, that it is…. I am quite fatigued."

Robin put his arms around her shoulders and laid her down, the blankets still around her covering her brand, "okay. Yeah. Please keep talking to me. Does anything hurt?"

Starfire blinked a few times, "no. It feels as though, as though, my limbs… do not just belong to me."

Robin was about to reply, but there was a knock on the door,

"Put your pants on, Star needs another healing session."

Neither of them moved as Raven used her powers to slide open the door. She walked a few steps in, looked up, and stopped.

"Why are you bother terrified?"

Robin looked over and cleared his throat, "I just… influenced Star's powers for the first time."

Raven looked at Starfire who nodded, Raven keep her face totally composed, and spoke coolly, spreading calmness throughout the room for her friends' sakes, "okay. That's big. Is everyone physically okay?"

Robin looked at Starfire, who nodded, then spoke, "yeah, we're just a little…"

Starfire looked at raven with wide eyes, "we are just a little 'all the shooken up'."

Raven smiled at the expression, as did Robin," okay, then I'd say that was a pretty good first go at it, wouldn't you?"

Robin smiled softly at Starfire, who offered a small smile in return. She spoke softly again, "it just felt different then I expected it too."

Raven sat on the chair by the desk and began spinning back and forth in small movements, "what did it feel like?"

Robin's eyes turned to Starfire, prepared to hang on her every word.

"it was…it was unlike anything I had felt before, Raven. I have experienced sexual and emotional intimacy, but this was something, I have not… I do not know."

Robin blushed slightly.

Raven nodded, "when Cyborg and Beastboy were running loose in my mind, it was a little…. Intimate as well. It is a part of you that you usually only share with yourself, that you usually _can_ only share with yourself. It is very intense and harsh. I'm sure you feel… exposed."

Starfire nodded, "it is not inherently… unpleasant…. Just- "

"-unexpected?" Raven completed the phrase for her.

Starfire nodded and Raven continued, "okay… well, all I sense from you now is exhaustion. I think we should heal you up, go to bed, and see what we can do with this in the morning?"

Starfire and Robin looked at one another, then at raven, nodding.

Raven began to approach Starfire, when she remembered her uncovered arm. Hiding precisely where Raven needed to heal. Luckily before Raven could sense her fear, Raven spoke, "this is the fourth day of healing. New skin is going to be forming and it's going to be sensitive. Change out of your uniform and I'm going to grab you a new shirt okay?"

Starfire nodded quickly, not too quickly she hoped and watched Raven leave. Once the door was closed she stood and walked toward the door behind Raven. Robing gently grabbed her hand, "please don't go, Starfire. Please. I am so sorry."

Starfire saw the fear in his eyes and hugged him, "oh, _dy iliuni,_ no. I merely require a new _resyord_ for my arm, Richard. I wish to venture to my room to collect one."

Robin release a large sigh in relief, "you start changing. I'll grab you one and be quick about it, where are they?"

Starfire smiled at her love, "In the closet, _dy iliuni_ , beneath our Silkie's sweaters."

Robin nodded and kissed her forehead, "back in a flash"

He was gone before Starfire could ask what he meant by returning in a light burst.

Starfire turned and looked in the mirror. This had been the first time she looked at her brand in years. She traced over the outline, the somehow still sensitive skin burning slightly at the touch. It was ugly. She hated everything about it. It was so permanent and aggressive it was all she could see when it was uncovered.

Starfire sighed. It would never go away. This was on her forever. The mark that reminded her of her of all that had happened at the Citadel. All that she had done. All that had been done to her. The Gordanian she murdered. She gritted her teeth together. Raven would sense this. She had to put these emotions away. She closed her eyes tightly. And focused on her empty feelings.

She opened her eyes. She looked numb. Raven would notice that something was off, but it would be easier to explain that she was tired. Or that she was still uncomfortable from earlier.

Robin entered the room again quickly, making Starfire jump,

" _X'Hal_ Richard!" Starfire's hand flew over her heart.

He chuckled and handed her the _resyord,_ "sorry Star. Had to beat Raven. She's coming down the hall."

Starfire nodded and snapped the _resyord_ over her arm, "I thank you, Richard." Starfire bit her lip, "Richard, please do not tell Raven about my wound."

Robin furrowed his brow, "what?"

She rubbed her lips together, "it is not something that she can heal, I will always have it. It is unneccessary to alert any other about this."

Starfire pictured the disappointment her friends would feel in her. For being so weak as to be branded. It brought her energy down. She felt the sadness infiltrate her mind once again.

Robin arched an eyebrow at her changed demeanor. But before he could speak again, the door slid open, "Alright Starfire, top off and onto the bed."

Starfire nodded and complied, her gorget resting on Robin's bedside table. Raven approached and ran her hands down the slightly raised marks upon the alien's back, "it's looking a lot better Starfire. You're probably almost done. It's just going to feel really raw tonight, okay?"

Starfire nodded but remained silent. Raven felt the strange numbness coming off of her friend and looked at Robin. There was a moment of silent communication, out of which she got nothing. She continued healing in silence, gritting her teeth at whatever it was she didn't know. She was too heartbroken to find anything else out about the terrible things that happened to her good friend. She couldn't stand to think that anymore had happened to her. But a large part of her wanted to know. What if she could help? What if this time, it was something that she could actually fix?

Raven smoothed Starfire's hair down, "you can turn over now Starfire,"  
Starfire complied, and Raven smiled at her. The smile she received in return was dull compared to the usual Starfire smiles. Raven bit her lip and continued. Starfire closed her eyes.

Robin watched Raven heal his girlfriend intensely. He remembered the way Starfire looked at her arm. So full of shame and hate. He clenched his jaw at the memory. There had to be a way to get rid of it. He sighed and decided to take a chance,

 **"Raven."**

 **"hmm? I'm a little busy here, Robin."**

 **"I know, I'm sorry. I just have a question."**

 **"Well, out with it."**

 **"What's the oldest wound you've healed?"**

Robin could see the features of Raven's face change as they spoke to each other through their connection,

 **"I'm not sure, Robin. Why? I think the oldest I've tried to heal were some of Cyborg's old scars. Some of them came up, some of them didn't. It's hard to say."**

 **"What about, say, maybe seven years ago?"**

He could feel her calculating sigh in his head, **"It'd be difficult to say. What kind of wound?"**

 **"A burn, but it looks fresh."**

 **"Is it on Starfire? Is this what's wrong?"**

Robin gritted his teeth for too long and Raven figured the answer herself.

 **"I'd have to see it."**

Robin let the image of the brand into his mind. He let it take over his thoughts.

Raven stopped moving and Starfire opened her eyes, "Raven?"

The lamp light bulb blew out surrounded by dark magic.

Starfire sat up, "Raven, are you alright?"

Raven nodded, "yeah I'm sorry, Star, just thinking of the…. Injuries you have, it's.. it's difficult. I'm sorry."

Starfire patted Raven's hair, "no please, I am sorry. I should have not made you heal this wound, it is not a very comforting sight."

Robin furrowed his brow, who was he kidding, Starfire would never have told Raven about this wound, let alone let her heal it. She would have had to see it. But Raven had to be able to heal it. It looked so new, so fresh. She had to-

 **"I don't know if I could heal that Robin. The skin is… the nerves are probably destroyed. I use my magic to help cells get enough power to reform… I don't think those cells are still… living."**

Robin let a curse fly in his head, but Raven didn't seem too surprised. She gently laid Starfire down and continued her healing, "Star, I don't want you to hide injuries from me because you think I won't like them, okay? If you think there's an injury you have, that I can heal, you tell me, okay?"

Starfire nodded solemnly, "Raven, aside from this wound, there is nothing for you to do the worrying about."

Starfire's hurt eyes met Robin's. She rubbed her lips together and laid back down. Allowing Raven to finish her healing.

Once Raven finished her healing a bid goodnight, Starfire wordlessly got dressed and left Robin alone in the room.

Robin placed his head in his hands. Starfire knew. Starfire knew that he had told Raven. He should have known. Starfire knew Raven's expressions well. She knew how Raven would react. He looked at the empty bed and swore. He had just wanted to help her, how did she not see that?

Robin exhaled roughly. He had done it again, he forced Starfire's secrets out. More of her story out. More things out than she was ready to share-again. He left his room and began to walk to Starfire's room. He did not think of anything else to say other than to apologize and beg for her forgiveness.

He knocked softly on the door, "Starfire?"

No reply.

He knocked again, "Star? Angel? Please, I'm sorry."

The only reply he got was the warbling of a Silkie on the other side of the door. Robin's breath caught in his throat and he typed the override code into the door.

The hallway light shown in the dark room.

Robin looked around, she wasn't in here. His eyes fell on the window. The curtain swaying in the breeze. The window screen laying against the wall. He approached the window and looked down. There Starfire sat, on the shore on the Titans Tower island. Her bare feet causing ripples in the water. Her loose t-shirt blowing in the ocean breeze. He admired her for a long time. Drinking in how the moonlight looked against her skin.

Something began happening is his pocket. He jumped. His communicator was vibrating.

He answered the call with a sigh. His father was the last person he wanted to talk to right now.

"Dick?"  
"I'm here. What's going on?"  
Batman's voice was emotionless and urgent, "I need you here. As soon as you can. The Joker's back."


End file.
